Appendix 2: Speakers of the House of Commons Since 1867
The Speaker of the House of Commons assumes the position of highest authority in the House and represents the Commons in all its powers, proceedings and dignity. The duties of the Speaker fall into three categories: 1) acting as the spokesperson of the House; 2) presiding over sittings of the House and maintaining order and decorum; and 3) assuming important administrative responsibilities. Provisions for the Speakership are defined in the Constitution Act, 1867, in the Parliament of Canada Act, and in the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. The election of the Speaker by the House is a constitutional requirement. At the beginning of every Parliament, the House must elect a Speaker from amongst its Members. From Confederation until 1985, Speakers were elected by way of motion usually initiated by the Prime Minister. Provisional rules adopted in June 1985, and made permanent in June 1987, have since provided for the election of the Speaker by secret ballot. Since 2015, the Speaker is elected using a single preferential ballot system.
Speaker (Party) | Date(s) of Election as Speaker | Parliament(s) (Years) | |
---|---|---|---|
|
1.
James Cockburn
(Conservative) |
November 6, 1867
March 5, 1873 |
1st Parliament (1867–72)
2nd Parliament (1873–74) |
|
2.
Timothy Warren Anglin1
(Liberal) |
March 26, 1874
February 7, 1878 |
1st–4th Session, 3rd Parliament (1874–77)
5th Session, 3rd Parliament (1878) |
|
3.
Joseph-Godéric Blanchet
(Liberal-Conservative) |
February 13, 1879
|
4th Parliament (1879–82)
|
4.
George Airey Kirkpatrick
(Liberal-Conservative) |
February 8, 1883
|
5th Parliament (1883–87)
|
|
5.
Joseph-Aldéric Ouimet
(Liberal-Conservative) |
April 13, 1887
|
6th Parliament (1887–91)
|
|
6. Peter White
(Conservative) |
April 29, 1891
|
7th Parliament (1891–96)
|
|
7. James David Edgar2
(Liberal) |
August 19, 1896
|
1st – 4th Session, 8th Parliament (1896–99)
|
|
8. Thomas Bain
(Liberal) |
August 1, 1899
|
4th – 5th Session, 8th Parliament (1899–1900)
|
|
9.
Louis-Philippe Brodeur3
(Liberal) |
February 6, 1901
|
1st – 3rd Session, 9th Parliament (1901–04)
|
|
10. Napoléon-Antoine Belcourt
(Liberal) |
March 10, 1904
|
4th Session, 9th Parliament (1904)
|
|
11. Robert Franklin Sutherland
(Liberal) |
January 11, 1905
|
10th Parliament (1905–08)
|
|
12. Charles Marcil
(Liberal) |
January 20, 1909
|
11th Parliament (1909–11)
|
|
13.
Thomas Simpson Sproule4
(Conservative) |
November 15, 1911
|
1st – 5th Session, 12th Parliament (1911–15)
|
|
14.
Albert Sévigny5
(Conservative) |
January 12, 1916
|
6th Session, 12th Parliament (1916–17)
|
|
15. Edgar Nelson Rhodes
(Conservative) |
January 18, 1917
March 18, 1918 |
7th Session, 12th Parliament (1917)
13th Parliament (1918–21) |
|
16.
Rodolphe Lemieux6
(Liberal) |
March 8, 1922
January 7, 1926 December 9, 1926 |
14th Parliament (1922–25)
15th Parliament (1926) 16th Parliament (1926–30) |
|
17.
George Black7
(Conservative) |
September 8, 1930
|
1st – 5th Session, 17th Parliament (1930–35)
|
|
18. James Langstaff Bowman
(Conservative) |
January 17, 1935
|
6th Session, 17th Parliament (1935)
|
|
19.
Pierre-François Casgrain8
(Liberal) |
February 6, 1936
|
18th Parliament (1936–40)
|
|
20. James Glen
(Liberal) |
May 16, 1940
|
19th Parliament (1940–45)
|
|
21. Gaspard Fauteux
(Liberal) |
September 6, 1945
|
20th Parliament (1945–49)
|
|
22.
William Ross Macdonald9
(Liberal) |
September 15, 1949
|
21st Parliament (1949–53)
|
|
23.
Louis-René Beaudoin10
(Liberal) |
November 12, 1953
|
22nd Parliament (1953–57)
|
|
24. Roland Michener
(Progressive Conservative) |
October 14, 1957
May 12, 1958 |
23rd Parliament (1957–58)
24th Parliament (1958–62) |
|
25. Marcel Lambert
(Progressive Conservative) |
September 27, 1962
|
25th Parliament (1962–63)
|
|
26. Alan Macnaughton
(Liberal) |
May 16, 1963
|
26th Parliament (1963–65)
|
|
27.
Lucien Lamoureux11
(Liberal) |
January 18, 1966
September 12, 1968 January 4, 1973 |
27th Parliament (1966–68)
28th Parliament (1968–72) 29th Parliament (1973–74) |
|
28.
James Jerome12
(Liberal) |
September 30, 1974
October 9, 1979 |
30th Parliament (1974–79)
31st Parliament (1979) |
|
29.
Jeanne Sauvé13
(Liberal) |
April 14, 1980
|
1st – 2nd Session, 32nd Parliament (1980–84)
|
|
30. Lloyd Francis
(Liberal) |
January 16, 1984
|
2nd Session, 32nd Parliament (1984)
|
|
31.
John Bosley14
(Progressive Conservative) |
November 5, 1984
|
1st – 2nd Session, 33rd Parliament (1984–86)
|
|
32.
John Fraser15
(Progressive Conservative) |
September 30, 1986
December 12, 1988 |
2nd Session, 33rd Parliament (1986–88)
34th Parliament (1988–93) |
|
33.
Gilbert Parent16
(Liberal) |
January 17, 1994
September 22, 1997 |
35th Parliament (1994–97)
36th Parliament (1997–2000) |
|
34.
Peter Milliken17
(Liberal) |
January 29, 2001
October 4, 2004 April 3, 2006 November 18, 2008 |
37th Parliament (2001–04)
38th Parliament (2004–05) 39th Parliament (2006–08) 40th Parliament (2008–11) |
|
35.
Andrew Scheer18
(Conservative) |
June 2, 2011
|
41st Parliament (2011–15)
|
|
36.
Geoff Regan19
(Liberal) |
December 3, 2015
|
42nd Parliament (2015– )
|