House of Commons Procedure and Practice
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Deputy Speakers and Chairs of Committees of the Whole House Since 1885

The position of Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole was created through amendments to the Standing Orders adopted on February 10, 1885, and through the adoption of legislation which was assented to on May 1, 1885.  The Statute was entitled “An Act to provide for the appointment of a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons” (S.C. 1885, c.1). The Standing Orders require the House to elect, from among its Members, a Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole at the commencement of every Parliament.  The same person performs the duties of both offices and must have full and practical knowledge of the official language which is not that of the current Speaker. The Deputy Speaker is vested with all the powers of the Speaker when the latter is absent from the House, presides over the proceedings of the House, and is responsible for chairing Committees of the Whole House.

  Deputy Speaker
(Party)
Date of Appointment Parliament
(Years)
1. Malachy B. Daly [1]
(Liberal-Conservative)
February 10, 1885 3rd Session, 5th Parliament to
4th Session, 5th Parliament (1885-87)
2. Charles Carroll Colby [2]
(Liberal-Conservative)
May 11, 1887 1st Session, 6th Parliament to
3rd Session, 6th Parliament (1887-89)
3. John F. Wood
(Conservative)
January 21, 1890 4th Session, 6th Parliament
(1890-91)
4. J.G.H. Bergeron
(Liberal-Conservative)
May 22, 1891 7th Parliament
(1891-96)
5. Louis-Philippe Brodeur [3]
(Liberal)
August 27, 1896 8th Parliament
(1896-1900)
6. Peter Macdonald
(Liberal)
February 11, 1901 9th Parliament
(1901-04)
7. Charles Marcil [4]
(Liberal)
January 16, 1905 10th Parliament
(1905-08)
8. Gilbert H. McIntyre
(Liberal)
January 25, 1909 11th Parliament
(1909-11)
9. Pierre-Édouard Blondin [5]
(Conservative)
November 29, 1911 1st Session, 12th Parliament to
4th Session, 12th Parliament (1911-14)
10. Albert Sévigny [6]
(Conservative)
February 9, 1915 5th Session, 12th Parliament
(1915)
11. Edgar Nelson Rhodes [7]
(Liberal-Conservative)
February 3, 1916 6th Session, 12th Parliament
(1916)
12. Joseph H. Rainville
(Conservative)
February 1, 1917 7th Session, 12th Parliament
(1917)
13. George Henry Boivin [8]
(Liberal)
March 21, 1918 13th Parliament
(1918-21)
14. George N. Gordon
(Liberal)
March 24, 1922 14th Parliament
(1922-25)
15. William Duff
(Liberal)
March 16, 1926 15th Parliament
(1926)
16. John Frederick Johnston
(Liberal)
December 14, 1926 15th Parliament
(1926-30)
17. Armand LaVergne [9]
(Liberal-Conservative)
September 9, 1930 1st Session, 17th Parliament to
6th Session, 17th Parliament (1930-35)
18. Raymond Morand
(Conservative)
March 11, 1935 6th Session, 17th Parliament
(1935)
19. Frederick George Sanderson
(Liberal)
February 13, 1936 18th Parliament
(1936-40)
20. Thomas Vien [10]
(Liberal)
May 21, 1940 1st Session, 19th Parliament to
3rd Session, 19th Parliament (1940-42)
21. Joseph Arthur Bradette
(Liberal)
February 25, 1943 4th Session, 19th Parliament to
6th Session, 19th Parliament (1943-45)
22. William Ross Macdonald [11]
(Liberal)
September 27, 1945 20th Parliament
(1945-49)
23. Joseph Alfred Dion [12]
(Liberal)
September 15, 1949 1st Session, 21st Parliament to
6th Session, 21st Parliament (1949-52)
24. Louis-René Beaudoin [13]
(Liberal)
April 9, 1952 6th Session, 21st Parliament to
7th Session, 21st Parliament (1952-53)
25. William Alfred Robinson
(Liberal)
November 12, 1953 22nd Parliament
(1953-57)
26. Henri Courtemanche
(Progressive Conservative)
October 14, 1957 23rd Parliament
(1957-58)
27. Pierre Sévigny [14]
(Progressive Conservative)
May 12, 1958 1st Session, 24th Parliament to
2nd Session, 24th Parliament (1958-59)
28. Jacques Flynn [15]
(Progressive Conservative)
January 14, 1960 3rd Session, 24th Parliament to
4th Session, 24th Parliament (1960-61)
29. Paul Martineau [16]
(Progressive Conservative)
January 18, 1962 5th Session, 24th Parliament
(1962)
30. Gordon Campbell Chown
(Progressive Conservative)
September 27, 1962 25th Parliament
(1962-63)
31. Lucien Lamoureux [17]
(Liberal)
May 16, 1963 26th Parliament
(1963-65)
32. Herman Maxwell Batten
(Liberal)
January 18, 1966 27th Parliament
(1966-68)
33. Hugh Faulkner [18]
(Liberal)
September 12, 1968 1st Session, 28th Parliament to
2nd Session, 28th Parliament (1968-70)
34. Russell C. Honey
(Liberal)
October 5, 1970 2nd Session, 28th Parliament to
4th Session, 28th Parliament (1970-72)
35. Robert McCleave [19]
(Progressive Conservative)
January 4, 1973 29th Parliament
(1973-74)
36. Gérald Laniel [20]
(Liberal)
September 30, 1974 30th Parliament
(1974-79)
October 9, 1979 31st Parliament
(1979)
37. Lloyd Francis [21]
(Liberal)
April 14, 1980 1st Session, 32nd Parliament to
2nd Session, 32nd Parliament (1980-84)
38. Eymard Corbin
(Liberal)
January 16, 1984 2nd Session, 32nd Parliament
(1984)
39. Marcel Danis [22]
(Progressive Conservative)
November 5, 1984 33rd Parliament
(1984-88)
December 12, 1988 1st Session, 34th Parliament to
2nd Session, 34th Parliament (1988-90)
40. Andrée Champagne [23]
(Progressive Conservative)
May 15, 1990 2nd Session, 34th Parliament to
3rd Session, 34th Parliament (1990-93)
41. David Kilgour
(Liberal)
January 18, 1994 35th Parliament
(1994-97)
42. Peter Milliken
(Liberal)
September 23, 1997 36th Parliament
(1997-2000)
43. Robert (Bob) Kilger
(Liberal)
January 30, 2001 37th Parliament
(2001-04)
44. Charles (Chuck) Strahl [24]
(Conservative)
October 5, 2004 38th Parliament
(2004-05)
[1]
Following the adoption of amendments to the Standing Orders on February 10, 1885, the House resolved that Malachy B. Daly take the Chair as Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole.
[2]
Charles Carroll Colby resigned as a Member, and thus as Deputy Speaker, between the Third and Fourth Sessions,  upon his appointment as President of the Privy Council on November 28, 1889.  Until 1931, Members of the House who accepted Cabinet positions were required, pursuant to the Senate and House of Commons Act, to resign their seats and seek re-election.
[3]
Louis-Philippe Brodeur was elected Speaker in the next Parliament.
[4]
Charles Marcil was elected Speaker in the next Parliament.
[5]
Pierre-Édouard Blondin resigned as a Member, and thus as Deputy Speaker, between the Fourth and Fifth Sessions, upon his appointment as Minister of Inland Revenue on October 20, 1914.
[6]
Albert Sévigny was elected Speaker on January 12, 1916.
[7]
Edgar Nelson Rhodes was elected Speaker on January 18, 1917.
[8]
George Henry Boivin, a Liberal Member, served under the Unionist Government of Sir Robert Borden.
[9]
Armand LaVergne died in office on March 5, 1935.
[10]
Thomas Vien was summoned to the Senate on October 5, 1942 and became Speaker of the Senate on January 23, 1943.
[11]
William Ross Macdonald was elected Speaker in the next Parliament.
[12]
Joseph Alfred Dion was appointed a judge and resigned his seat on April 9, 1952.
[13]
Louis-René Beaudoin was elected Speaker in the next Parliament.
[14]
Pierre Sévigny was appointed Associate Minister of National Defence on August 20, 1959 during the recess.
[15]
Jacques Flynn was appointed Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys on December 28, 1961 during the recess.
[16]
The motion to appoint Paul Martineau was agreed to on a recorded division.  This marked the first occasion that there was a recorded division on the appointment of a Deputy Speaker.  (Debates, January 18, 1962, pp. 5-6.)
[17]
Lucien Lamoureux was elected Speaker in the next Parliament.
[18]
Hugh Faulkner was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State on October 1, 1970.
[19]
Robert McCleave, a Progressive Conservative Member, served under a Liberal Government.
[20]
Gérald Laniel, a Liberal Member, served under a Progressive Conservative Government in the Thirty-First Parliament.
[21]
Lloyd Francis was elected Speaker on January 16, 1984, during the Second Session of the Thirty-Second Parliament.
[22]
Marcel Danis was appointed Minister of State (Youth) and Minister of State (Fitness and Amateur Sport) and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons on February 23, 1990.  However, although he did not sit in the Chair following his appointment to the Cabinet, Mr. Danis remained Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole until his official resignation and the appointment to that position of Andrée Champagne on May 15, 1990.
[23]
First woman to become Deputy Speaker.
[24]
Changes to the process for electing the Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole were implemented at the start of the 38th Parliament. The Speaker of the House, after consultation with the leaders of each of the officially recognized parties, announces the name of the Member he or she considers to be qualified for the position. The House then votes on the Speaker’s designation without debate or amendment. Mr. Strahl was the first Deputy Speaker elected in this manner. A Conservative, he served under a minority Liberal Government.


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