Speaker of the House of Commons Greg Fergus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 1, 2024.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Liberal Party of Canada apologized Tuesday afternoon to one of its MPs, Greg Fergus, who also serves as the Speaker of the House of Commons, over an advertisement that appeared on its website that included language it says was partisan in nature.
On X, the party’s national director Azam Ishmael published a letter to Mr. Fergus about the ad, which the party has since taken down.
“The language that was posted on the event page of liberal.ca was the auto-populated, standard language we use for events on our website and was posted without your knowledge and as a result of a miscommunication between the party and the riding association,” he said.
“The Liberal Party of Canada unequivocally apologizes to you for this mistake and we take full responsibility.”
Early Tuesday, Mr. Fergus received a four-page letter from Conservative MP Chris Warkentin detailing concerns about the ad for “A summer evening with the Honourable Greg Fergus.”
The posting about the event, scheduled to be held next month, included a line that “Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives propose reckless policies that would risk our health, safety and pocketbooks.”
Mr. Warkentin, who represents the Alberta riding of Grande Prairie-Mackenzie, said the event was being promoted by attacking Mr. Poilievre and included partisan and inflammatory language. He said that a Speaker cannot credibly claim to objectively police debate in the Commons by day while holding “partisan attack rallies against the Leader of the Official Opposition by night.”
The job of the Speaker is to essentially be a referee. Their actions must be impartial to preserve the trust of the House.
Mr. Warkentin said the ad underscores why Mr. Fergus is not fit to serve in his role. The Bloc Québécois agree.
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters Tuesday that his party has previously called on Mr. Fergus to resign, and the latest issue is another justification for that position. He said the concern with the ad is the language attacking Mr. Poilievre, rather than the fact that Mr. Fergus is holding a fundraiser.
“There’s a difference between having a fundraiser in your riding and launching partisan attacks against your rivals,” he said.
Mr. Warkentin’s letter said that he recognizes that any sitting Speaker who intends to run again as an MP must also consider fundraising. But he said the advertised event did not appear to be a fundraiser. He said that with a “highly partisan description,” the event appeared more akin to a political rally.
In response to Mr. Warkentin’s concerns, Mathieu Gravel, director of outreach and media relations for the Speaker’s Office, said the event was organized by Mr. Fergus’s riding association for Hull-Aylmer to assist with his re-election efforts.
“The Speaker’s Office had discussed this event with the Clerk of the House of Commons, who raised no concerns, since this event is taking place in Mr. Fergus’s riding, which is permitted,” Mr. Gravel said in a statement.
“The Hull-Aylmer Federal Liberal Association, which is organizing the event, did not know the event was posted on the Party’s website. They asked that it be removed as soon as possible; it has now been taken down.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland defended Mr. Fergus when asked about the matter at a news conference on Parliament Hill.
“Our government continues to have confidence in the Speaker,” she said, without elaborating further.
NDP House Leader Peter Julian told reporters that the Liberal Party owed Mr. Fergus, as well as the House of Commons, an apology over what happened. The Liberal Party of Canada showed “profound disrespect” by publishing that without the authorization or knowledge of the Speaker, he said.
Mr. Warkentin, who raised concerns about the ad in the Commons on Tuesday morning, said that Mr. Fergus can no longer count on trust and goodwill from MPs from all corners of the House.
Mr. Warkentin also pointed to instances to show, in his view, that Mr. Fergus is not adequately suited to serve as Speaker. For example, he said Mr. Fergus recently used his authority as Speaker to remove the Conservative Leader from the House of Commons over remarks made about Justin Trudeau while he said the Prime Minister used “equally questionable” language “merely seconds before.”
Last December, Mr. Fergus came under fire for participating in a congratulatory video for John Fraser, the former interim leader of the Ontario Liberals, who is a long-time personal friend. In the video screened at the party meeting at which Bonnie Crombie was named Ontario Liberal Leader, Mr. Fergus wore his Speaker’s uniform.