Geoff Regan elected House Speaker as 42nd Parliament opens

Geoff Reganhas been elected House of Commons Speaker at the opening of a new Parliament following the general election on Oct. 19 that saw the Liberals win a majority government.

Members of Parliamenteach cast a secret ballot on Thursday ranking the candidates by order of preference in their first act of the new Parliament.

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Three other candidates were vying for the position Liberals Denis Paradis and Yasmin Ratansi, as well as Conservative Bruce Stanton.

A fifth MP, Mauril Blanger, was forced to bow out of the race after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Blanger was visibly moved when he wasacknowledged by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and received applause from his fellow MPs in the House following the vote.

LiberalGeorgeFurey, another parliamentarian from Atlantic Canada, was appointedSpeaker of the Senate earlier in the day.

In his acceptance speech,Regansaid he was honoured to be the first member of Parliament from Atlantic Canadain nearly 100 years to be elected as Speaker.

He also said today has a special significance for him and his wife Kelly as they celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary. Kelly Regan is also a politician, who sits in the Nova Scotia legislature.

"I'm thrilled for Geoff," his wife told CBC News in Nova Scotiaimmediately following the announcement.

Asked if she was surprised that he won on the first ballot, she said, "No, actually, it doesn't surprise me because he was making an awfullot of phone calls. He had a lot of support and people who were out there working for him."

Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons as Prime Minister for the first time

9 years ago

Duration 0:56

Trudeau congratulated Geoff Regan on being elected Commons Speaker

Regan also saluted his parents, Caroleand Gerald Regan, who were sitting in the gallery inside the House of Commons.

His father,Gerald, served as premier of Nova Scotia in the 1970s and later as a minister in the cabinet of Prime MinisterPierre Elliott Trudeau.

Regan's mother, Carole, was the daughter ofJackHarrison,a Saskatchewan Liberal member of Parliament.

The current prime minister,who spoke after the Speakerfinished his acceptance speech, congratulated Reganon his election andreserved aspecial mention for hismother.

"To my knowledge," saidTrudeau, "only two women in the history of Canada have had the dubious distinction of having been the daughter, the wife, and the mother of a member of Parliament

"One of those women is my mother, the other is yours Mr. Speaker, whom we salute today," Trudeau said.

'I will not tolerate heckling'

The new Speaker put all members of Parliament on notice, telling them in his acceptance speech thathe would not tolerate a lack of decorum in the House of Commons.

"My role as your Speaker, is to be fair. And I want to assure youI intend to be fair and I intend to be firm," Regan said.

"I will not tolerate heckling," Regan said to some good-natured ribbing before adding, "we don't need it."

"And we will not tolerate unparliamentary conduct," he said.

New Commons Speaker says he won't tolerate heckling

9 years ago

Duration 2:11

Geoff Regan elected as Commons Speaker today tells MPS no heckling and then gets heckled

Regan, 56, who represents the riding of Halifax West andhas served as abackbench MP, aminister and opposition criticduring his 18 years in Parliament, said all thevarious jobs prepared him for his new role.

"I've sat in all corners of this House and I think that will help me to appreciate the different perspective of all members, on all sides."

"I've heard from so many of you," Regan said,"and of your desire for a better atmosphere in this place, for greater respect to be shown among members of Parliament on all sides."

Regan told MPs he believes it's the role of the Speaker to lead discussions on how to reform procedures in the Commons to achieve those goals.

"This is the people's chamber and through them, this is your chamber," Regan said.

Opposition leaders offer Regan their support

Opposition LeaderRonaAmbrose congratulatedReganon his election and assured him ofher party's collaboration in what she said historians will one day dub"the great Parliament."

"That means that you can count on our co-operation at all times and in all situations."

'If the prime minister is wondering what I'm prepared to do when he does not act in the best interest of Canadians, to him I say just watch me.- RonaAmbrose, Oppositionleader

Borrowing a phrase made famous by Trudeau's father and former prime minister, Ambrose saidher party would be there to hold the Liberal governmentto account.

"If the prime minister is wondering what I'm prepared to do when he does not act in the best interest of Canadians, to him I say just watch me."

New Democratic PartyLeader Tom Mulcairsupported Regan's desire to rid the Commons of heckling, saying it was somethingthe party was able to do underthe late Jack Layton.

"The NDP will back you on that, we'll be there with you every step of the way."

Mulcairtook the time togive a nod to the 10 indigenous MPs, arecord numberelected to this 42ndParliament.

"We have attended to an important sea change in this Parliament and we can all be soproud," he said.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper, who was elected in the Albertariding ofCalgary Heritage, was in the House of Commons Thursday tocasta ballot for a new Speaker.

He was seen giving Ambrose, the Conservative party's interim leader, a hug and shaking hands with various Conservative caucus colleagues including Andrew Scheer, the previous House of Commons Speaker.

Throne speech Friday

The election of a Speaker comes a day ahead of the government's first throne speech, to be delivered Friday by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

It is likely to be one of the shortest in Canadian history.Insiders say the speechwill be little more than a list of the new Liberal government's immediate priorities, with minimal rhetorical flourishes and no surprises.

It won't mention every federal department.It won't recap every single promise made by Trudeau during the federal election campaign.

Rather, it will be a brief recitation of the urgent promises Trudeau intends to move on over the coming year those aimed at improving the lot of struggling middle-class Canadians foremost among them.

The brevity and tight focus of the speech is modelled on throne speeches in the mother of Parliaments in the United Kingdom, which typically run less than 1,000 words and takethe Queen less than 10 minutes to read.