Since Greg Fergus became Speaker of the House of Commons, he has refused to fulfill his responsibility of non-partisanship. Instead, Fergus has routinely used his power to further the interests of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party.
Fergus simply doesn’t care that the role of Speaker requires fair and impartial judgement. This was clear when he spoke at a fundraising dinner for a neighbouring Liberal; addressed the Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention in full Speaker garb, and then just a few weeks later, jetted off to Washington to make a speech about his experience as a member of the Young Liberals.
Despite increasing criticism, Fergus once again showed his disregard for the neutrality required in his role when the Liberal Party of Canada advertised a “Summer Evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus.” The promotional material for this event included inflammatory partisan attacks about the Leader of the Official Opposition, saying that he “propose[s] reckless policies that would risk our health, safety and pocketbooks.”
It is obvious that Greg Fergus is not fit to be Speaker. But unfortunately, the NDP no longer cares about the necessity of an impartial Speaker, voting late last night to keep Fergus in his role. This is just the latest act of desperation from an NDP whose only purpose has become to shield their Liberal coalition partners from embarrassment.
If Fergus had any respect for the House of Commons, he would resign. But if not, Conservatives will continue to hold Greg Fergus and the Liberal-NDP coalition accountable.