ANALYSIS: Unseating of House Speakers in Canada and US Unique, but Ramifications Worlds Apart

Newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons Greg Fergus is escorted into the House of Commons by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Neighbours Canada and the United States both recently experienced upheavals over who should be the Speaker of their house of elected representatives—and the U.S. situation has yet to be fully resolved—but the ramifications for political life in the two countries are in completely different ballparks.

“The Speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” newly elected House of Commons Speaker and Liberal MP Greg Fergus said on Oct. 3.