Conservatives, Bloc call for Speaker to resign over video message at Ontario Liberal convention

The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois are calling on House Speaker Greg Fergus to resign after he appeared in a video message played at the recent Ontario Liberal leadership convention.

Fergus apologized in the House on Monday for appearing in a video message he said was meant to be a tribute to a personal friend, outgoing interim provincial Liberal leader John Fraser.

“I would like to reassure members that the principles of respect, impartiality and decorum are values I continue to prioritize for my Speaker’s tenure,” he said.

In the video, Fergus appears from the Speaker’s chamber and in the traditional robes of his role, speaking between segments recorded by former provincial Liberal leaders Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty.

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer — a former Speaker — rose in the House after question period and called on Fergus to step down.

“What would happen if an NHL referee appeared in a locker room for one of the teams, wearing his referee’s outfit and giving a bit of a pep talk?” Scheer said. “How long do we think that NHL referee would continue in that post?”

Earlier in the day, Scheer told the House that Fergus’s video was a “breach of the impartiality of the [Speaker’s] chair.”

“He was standing there in the full non-partisan trappings of his non-partisan office, paying a partisan tribute to a partisan friend at a partisan event,” he said. “This conduct is simply unacceptable. It defies all long standing traditions and expectations attached to the high office of speaker.”

Scheer said he plans to present a motion in the House calling for the matter to be referred to the House procedures committee.

Fergus maintains that his message was not meant to be partisan or political in any way. He said Fraser has been a personal friend for more than 30 years and that he was told the video would be played during an “intimate party.”

“Like all of you, I have deep and abiding relationships with people from all political backgrounds. It should not be seen as partisan to recognize our colleague’s departure. It is an act of friendship and respect,” Fergus told MPs.

‘Miscommunication’ over when video would be played

Fergus, who represents a Quebec riding, said he isn’t a member of…