On Tuesday, Canadian parliament elected Greg Fergus as its first black speaker, following his predecessor’s resignation over the public celebration of a Ukraine veteran who battled for the Nazis.
Fergus, a Liberal MP, said the Commons is where “hard debates will happen,” but demanded lawmakers to “treat each other with respect.”
“There can be no dialogue unless there is a mutual understanding of respect.”
As speaker of the chamber, his position is to chair House of Commons debates and implement parliamentary rules while remaining impartial, only voting to split links.
Fergus was accompanied arm in arm into the House of Commons by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, as is tradition.
Hailing him for being the first Black Canadian to become speaker, Trudeau said, “This should be inspiring for all Canadians, especially younger generations who want to get into politics.”
First elected as a member of Parliament in 2015, Fergus launched the parliamentary black caucus. He also acted as Trudeau’s parliamentary secretary.
His new position as the speaker must begin with “restoring the honor of this chamber,” Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democrats said.
During a current visit to parliament by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the former speaker, Anthony Rota, praised an old Ukrainian immigrant from his district as a hero, initiating a standing ovation.
He resigned after it was disclosed that the veteran had served in a Nazi-related military unit.
