Conservative MPs call for Canadian House Speaker Greg Fergus to resign for promoting 'very partisan' event

House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing calls to step down again for breaching the non-partisan parameters of his office by advertising a highly partisan event in his riding. 

Conservative MPs have repeated their demands that Fergus resign immediately. The Speaker has been accused of partisan activity during his short tenure in office. Fergus replaced former Speaker Anthony Rota, who resigned in disgrace after being forced to accept responsibility for inviting a former Waffen-SS soldier to sit in the Parliamentary Gallery during a speech from visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

In correspondence sent to Fergus Tuesday, Official Opposition MP Chris Warkentin (CPC- Grande Prairie-Mackenzie) criticized an online announcement for "A Summer Evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus" because of its highly partisan language that includes condemnation of Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre — saying he is promoting policies "that would risk our health, safety and pocketbooks."

The ad for the June reception utilized "very partisan, inflammatory language," the Alberta MP said.
 

The original advertisement for the event read in part, "While Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives propose reckless policies that would risk our health, safety, and pocketbooks, our Liberal team is focused on making life more affordable for Canadians and moving forward with our bold plan to grow an economy that works for everyone, protect our environment, keep our communities safe, and so much more." That description has since been changed to describe "a fun-filled Summer kick-off BBQ with good cheer, refreshing drink, and appetizing food."

"Your event is being promoted by attacking the very same leader whom you recently used your authority to kick out of the House of Commons, allegedly for his choice of wording," Warkentin said.

Warkentin was referring to Fergus's highly controversial decision to eject Poilievre from the House of Commons during Question Period  this month after the Official Opposition leader called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his drug decriminalization policies as “wacko” and “extremist.” 

When Poilievre refused to retract the comments, Fergus grabbed a ready copy of the House of Commons Standing Orders and cited No. 11, which the Speaker claimed gave him the authority to remove Poilievre.

Warkentin pointed out that although Trudeau used harsh terms in his description of Poilievre that day, the prime minister was not subject to similar discipline. 

Conservative MP Michael Cooper (CPC-St. Albert-Edmonton) told The Post Millennial that he believes Fergus “planned” to remove Poilievre on that day and was prepared for it. 

Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Warner also took to social media Tuesday to demand that Fergus leave his office.

Fergus apologized in December for a video tribute he prepared in honor of outgoing interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser. The video was played at last weekend’s Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention.

But he soon demonstrated his partisanship again by attending an event in Washington, DC and fondly recalled his election as the president of the Young Liberals of Canada.

The incident was documented in a video posted on X. 

Letters surfaced praising Fergus’s work and insisting he should stay on as speaker but these proved to be written by prominent Liberals.