OTTAWA: Greg Fergus, a black Canadian, was on Tuesday elected as new speaker of the House of Commons, for the first time in the history of the country.
The post of the speaker fell vacant after resignation of Anthony Rota last week after he invited — and honored — a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Canadian parliament last month, lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.
Fergus, 54, is a Quebec Liberal lawmaker.
After lawmakers elected him to the role through a secret ballot, he promised to lead with respect, and encouraged his fellow lawmakers to respect each other. Canadians are watching, he noted.
“The speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” Fergus said in his first speech from the chair.
“And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you.”
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