UPDATE: Charlottetown MP Sean Casey making a run for Speaker in the House of Commons

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Charlottetown MP Sean Casey has thrown his hat into the race to be the brand new Speaker of the Home of Commons.

Casey confirmed to SaltWire that he’s within the working as he was strolling between conferences on Parliament Hill on Sept. 28.

“I will be on the poll on Tuesday,” Casey stated, referring to the vote scheduled subsequent week to pick out a brand new Speaker. 

If Casey is profitable, he would be the first P.E.I. MP to ever occupy the submit of Speaker.

A number of different members of Parliament are reportedly within the working for the place.

This consists of Conservative MP Chris D’Entremont, Liberal MPs Alexandra Mendès and Greg Fergus and NDP MP Carol Hughes.

D’Entremont is the present deputy speaker whereas Mendès and Hughes are at the moment the 2 assistant deputy audio system.

Casey stated he’s “nearly sure” there are different MPs within the working in addition to these 4. There have been stories that Inexperienced social gathering co-leader Elizabeth Could will even be placing her title ahead.

Inexperienced Social gathering co-Chief @ElizabethMay has confirmed to me she shall be on the poll to develop into the brand new Speaker of the Home. Nevertheless because of her current well being points is not going to bodily be current for the vote.
She does plan to offer a digital speech in the course of the course of #cdnpoli

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) September 28, 2023

The Speaker is elected by a vote of MPs utilizing a ranked poll, the place MPs can choose a second or third selection.

Casey stated he believes his 12 years of tenure as an MP shall be a bonus in connecting with members from his personal Liberal social gathering and with Conservative, NDP or Bloc members.

He stated most MPs from the Opposition events will seemingly choose a candidate from their very own social gathering as their first selection. 

“With a ranked poll, the secret, actually, is, in the event you’re not their first decide, you wish to be their second or third decide,” Casey stated. “So it is vital to get the face-to-face with as many as potential.”

Casey’s prolonged tenure could give him one benefit.

He was considered one of solely 34 Liberal MPs elected in 2011, the yr an increase in NDP recognition in Quebec devastated the Liberal caucus.

4 years later, Justin Trudeau’s management helped catapult the Liberals again into authorities.

In consequence, comparatively few Liberals have expertise serving in Opposition. Casey could find yourself being the one candidate in a position to successfully convey an understanding of the views from either side of the Home.

Rota resignation

The sudden race for a brand new Speaker of the Home of Commons comes on account of the resignation of Anthony Rota earlier this week.

Rota confronted requires his resignation from Conservative, Bloc, NDP and Liberal Members of Parliament after he gave recognition to a Ukrainian veteran of a WWII division that fought for Nazi Germany. Following a speech earlier than Parliament by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rota launched the 98-year-old man, Yaroslav Hunka, as a Ukrainian-Canadian veteran from WWII “who fought for Ukrainian independence in opposition to the Russians.” 

Regardless of the extensively recognized proven fact that Russia was allied with Canada in preventing in opposition to Nazi Germany, members of Parliament from all events gave Hunka two standing ovations. Many later stated they have been unaware that Hunka had served in a Nazi army formation. It’s unclear if Rota was totally conscious that Hunka’s division – the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, which was also called the first Ukrainian Division – was a Nazi unit.

The incident grew to become a world scandal. Rota stated he alone had invited Hunka into the Legislature and that employees inside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s workplace weren’t conscious of Hunka’s previous.

Stu Neatby is a political reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He might be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on X @stu_neatby.