The House and Its Members

Introduction

In addition to the more visible duties of representing the House and presiding over sittings, the position of Speaker includes a wide range of responsibilities. The Speaker may be called on to rule on various matters, including the behaviour and actions of Members, the administrative management of all services provided by the House of Commons Administration, and the physical aspects of the Chamber itself.

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the breadth of the Speaker’s responsibilities and authority through several key decisions. Over the course of his mandate, Speaker Scheer had to face a number of challenges, particularly in his role as the person responsible for the security of Members and House staff.

On October 22, 2014, an armed man, who had just shot and killed a ceremonial sentry at the National War Memorial, opened fire in Centre Block while political parties were holding their caucus meetings. The man died in an exchange of gunfire that left one person injured. The House stood adjourned that day.

The following day, contrary to normal practice, the Speaker asked to have the galleries opened to parliamentary staff and accredited media before the reading of the prayer. After Oral Questions, he made a statement to reassure Members and others from the parliamentary community about the Parliamentary Precinct’s security. In addition to announcing temporary measures, the Speaker said that an in-depth analysis would be carried out with a view to preventing such events from occurring in the future.

A working group, of which the Speaker served as co-chair and whose membership included both Members and Senators, considered the issue and proposed unifying the security services of the Senate and the House of Commons. In February 2015, the House of Commons adopted a motion to that effect. In June 2015, legislation providing for the creation of the Parliamentary Protective Service received Royal Assent. The Service has been in place since the fall of 2015; it is overseen by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police under the direction of the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons.