Conservatives put forward motion to oust Greg Fergus as Speaker of the House

Conservatives are asking the House of Commons to vote to remove Speaker Greg Fergus from the role over partisan language that appeared in an ad for an event in his riding.

Conservative MP Chris Warkentin moved a motion Monday afternoon that, if passed, would find Fergus in contempt of Parliament and declare the Speaker's chair vacant.

"This Speaker has demonstrated countless times that he is unfit to be a non-partisan speaker," Warkentin said in the House chamber.

"He's a very, very effective partisan Liberal and … we've lost trust in his ability to govern this place."

Conservative MP Chris Warkentin rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Warkentin moved the motion after Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont ruled that the use of partisan language in the ad amounted to a prima facie question of MPs' privilege.

The online posting for "A Summer Evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus" included a line that took aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It accused him of pursuing Conservative policies "that would risk our health, safety and pocketbooks" and promoted a Liberal plan to "grow an economy that works for everyone."

The Liberal Party apologized to Fergus in a letter last week, saying the language posted on the event page was the auto-populated, standardized language the party uses for events on its website.

The language was posted without Fergus's knowledge and "as a result of a miscommunication between the Party and the riding association," said the letter from Azam Ishmael, the party's national director.

"The Liberal Party unequivocally apologizes to you for this mistake, and we take full responsibility."

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux accused the Conservatives of launching a partisan attack on Fergus.

"They have constantly … had it in for this Speaker," he said in the House.

The Speaker presides over the business of the House of Commons and is meant to act as an impartial arbiter of House proceedings. While the Speaker is elected as a member of a party, the role is considered nonpartisan — no Speaker sits in a party caucus.

Motion unlikely to pass without NDP support

This is not the first time Fergus, who was elected to the chair in October, has had his impartiality questioned by MPs.

Fergus initially lost the support of Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs when he taped a video tribute to outgoing Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser while wearing the Speaker's robes.

He also participated in a fundraising event in his riding last fall, something billed as a "cocktail militant" for Liberal supporters.

Fergus held onto his job after the NDP backed him during the fracas over the video. He apologized and paid a fine for breaking Commons rules that forbid the use of parliamentary resources for partisan purposes.

Last week, NDP MP Peter Julian said Fergus behaved appropriately in this most recent case by having the event cleared by the Clerk before proposing to host it.

An NDP spokesperson told CBC News that the party's position hasn't changed in light of d'Entremont's ruling.

MP Lindsay Mathyssen accused the Conservatives on Monday of wanting to delay votes on legislation.

"Was there a mistake made? Absolutely. Is it horribly unfortunate? Absolutely. Are we punishing the right person in this instance? No," she said.