Ottawa-Orleans Conservative MP Royal Galipeau has now joined several other MPs in a bid for the Speaker’s chair.
I was shocked to see that 100% of my 58 respondents to a recent poll believe that it’s time for a new Speaker. I’ve never had an unanimous poll result before. Should be interesting to watch who ends up with this cushy job that has lots of lovely perks including an official residence.
Meanwhile, that other race is getting a bit more interesting too. At least now there’s a remote chance that it won’t have to be classified as a ‘sleep aid’ anymore.
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Monday Update: Speaker’s perks draw objections (Chronicle Herald):
…The speaker’s job comes with a cozy apartment in the rear of the Centre Block, a rustic mansion and grounds in the Gatineau Hills near Ottawa, a car and driver to shuttle the Speaker between the two, and a $1-million budget that includes up to $167,500 for hospitality.
The country residence at Kingsmere, Que., called The Farm, has its own wine cellar.
And when Parliament is adjourned, the Speaker has a foreign travel budget that allows flights to exotic destinations around the world.
Milliken has drawn on that extensively, spending several hundred thousand dollars over the last two years on visits abroad, always with a contingent of MPs from all parties along for the ride.
In Parliament, Milliken has established a practice of hosting informal weekly dinners, invariably a meal of lamb with wine, in his Centre Block apartment for up to two-dozen MPs …
Interesting insider strategy here at The Hill Times – House Speaker race heats up, gets interesting:
One Liberal MP said Mr. Milliken, who has been the Speaker since 2001, has been in the position for too long, the MP said he felt he’d been treated unfairly by him in the past and that Mr. Milliken panders to the government. The MP, who said he plans on voting for Mr. Scheer, said " a few" people in his caucus are looking for someone else to support besides Mr. Milliken. "Peter has been there too long, Peter thinks that we owe it to him…Besides, it gets the Tories down by one vote."
Mmm… Something tells me Joe Comartin is the best choice here.
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Globe’s Lawrence Martin - Wanted: A Speaker who can end the bedlam:
...Speaker Milliken, who has been in the job seven years, is a nice, soft-spoken man. But therein lies the problem. He’s too nice, too soft-spoken. He’s like the high school teacher who knows his stuff but can’t control the class. We all remember those types. You spotted them the first time they entered the room. The paper airplanes and spitballs started to fly. ..
Excellent column. Please read the whole thing.
Kady’s rooting for Andrew Scheer. And check out her poll! How many times has Peter Milliken voted for himself?
Stephen Taylor has interviews with the candidates!
