New Speakers face several challenges

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2023 (674 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coincidentally, new speakers now preside over both the House of Commons and the Manitoba legislature. Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who represents Hull Aylmer, was elected by secret ballot in October. In Manitoba, Tom Lindsey, NDP MLA for Flin Flon, was acclaimed as Speaker in November when no other MLAs stood for the position.

As the presiding officer, the Speaker works to balance the right of governments to have their business considered (not necessarily approved) in an orderly, timely manner balanced by adequate opportunities for all MPs/MLAs (in practice mainly the opposition) to hold the prime minister/ premier and other ministers accountable for their actions and inactions. Another responsibility is to protect the rights of individual legislators to free speech without obstruction, intimidation or persistent hassling.

Ideally, in order to avoid any real or perceived hint of partisan bias, a new Speaker must cease any involvement with party functions. Unfortunately, Fergus has embroiled himself in controversy by an appearance from his office fully garbed in the Speaker’s robes in a video to honour a retiring Liberal colleague. The opposition have called for his resignation and a parliamentary committee is set to investigate his conduct.

A related challenge facing all Speakers in recent years is to promote more respectful behaviour, greater civility and improved decorum within the legislatures they lead. Studies indicate that disrespect, name-calling, heckling, bullying, intimidation, physical threats, and sexual harassment within legislatures are happening more frequently than in earlier decades.

There are at least four potential negative consequences. Misbehaviour detracts from the effectiveness of legislatures. It sends a message that the parliamentary process is a nasty game rather than a serious task. It erodes public confidence in the institution. In at least one opinion survey only political parties enjoyed less public trust than legislatures.

If misconduct is serious enough, it can permanently destroy the careers of both the offenders and the victims. Abusive behaviour is targeted disproportionately at women, which can discourage them from running for office, participating fully in the proceedings of the legislature, and may contribute to early voluntary departures from political life.

Heckling is the most common form of disruptive behaviour. A 2016 survey found that 69 per cent of MPs thought it was a major problem in the House of Commons and yet 72 per cent admitted they had resorted to the tactic. I know of no such survey of Manitoba’s MLAs, but comparable percentages were found in a recent survey of Ontario MPPs.

In an era of permanent campaigning, heckling is used to score political points and to gain media attention. Other times it is used to counter the alleged political hype and misinformation of their political opponents. Finally, legislatures operate as a “team sport” and heckling is one way to demonstrate loyalty and contribute to the camaraderie of the party team.

Party competition, argumentation and passion are important because they provide the energy which drives the legislature. The goal should not be to eliminate these qualities but to channel them in more constructive directions.

Party leaders play a key role in shaping the interpersonal climate and the tone of exchanges that take place in legislatures. Leaders promoting highly contentious policies, especially if they rely on high octane rhetoric, can escalate the normal tensions within legislatures.

Heckling is more frequent and intense before an election when parties strive to win daily victories in an informal campaign. With a federal election on the horizon, the mood of the Commons is so contentious that Speaker Fergus could not deliver his plans to promote decorum because his speech was drowned out by heckling from the Conservatives who complained he was delaying QP.

Meanwhile in Manitoba Speaker Lyndsey expressed the hope that the October election —which saw 26 first-time MLAs elected — represented an opportunity to achieve a more respectful climate within the legislature.

There is disagreement over whether the rules of legislatures need to be amended to grant Speakers more authority to deal with heckling. Under existing rules, Speakers can require apologies and banish legislators for a day or more when seriously unparliamentary behaviour occurs.

To deal with heckling some Speakers use a “name and shame” approach, but in the din of disorder it is not always easy to identify offenders. Some Speakers have admitted to not recognizing persistent hecklers when they rise to ask questions.

Leaders and party caucuses could support Speakers by including in orientation sessions discussions of the potential harms caused by heckling and providing practice sessions on how to avoid needless confrontations which damage the effectiveness and dignity of the institution.

Paul G. Thomas is professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.