Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Président de l'Assemblée législative de l'Ontario
Incumbent
Ted Arnott
since July 11, 2018
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Member of Provincial Parliament
Seat Queen's Park, Toronto
Formation December 27, 1867 (1867-12-27)
First holder John Stevenson

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (French: Président de l'Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Since 1990 the position has been elected by MPPs using a secret ballot. Previously, the Speaker had been appointed directly by the Premier of Ontario after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the third-largest party and then ratified by the legislature. David Warner was the first Speaker to be elected by his or her peers.

The Speaker is usually a member of the governing party. The only exceptions have been Jack Stokes, Nelson Parliament and Hugh Edighoffer. Stokes was the NDP MPP for Lake Nipigon, and was named Speaker by Progressive Conservative Premier Bill Davis. Davis was elected to lead a minority government and having an opposition MPP as Speaker was a means of denying the opposition one vote (as the Speaker only votes in the occasion of a tie and then must vote by precedent). Nelson Parliament was a Liberal who became Speaker when the United Farmers of Ontario formed government as the entire UFO/Labour caucus were freshly elected with no legislative experience. As a result, the Premier, E.C. Drury, looked to the opposition benches for a Speaker. Upon becoming Speaker, Parliament resigned from the Liberal caucus and sat without party affiliation. While this is the normal practice in the British House of Commons, it is the only time it has happened in Ontario.

Hugh Edighoffer was elected Speaker following the 1985 provincial election that returned a tenuous minority Progressive Conservative government under Frank Miller. However, the opposition Liberals and NDP controlled the legislature and elected Edighoffer as Speaker at the beginning of the session. Days later, the Miller government was brought down by a Motion of Non-Confidence and, as a result of an accord between the Liberals and the NDP, Liberal leader David Peterson was asked to form a government without the legislature being dissolved and a new election. Edighoffer, a Liberal MPP, remained Speaker for the duration of the Peterson government.

Speaker elections

2011

There were nine candidates for the position of Speaker in the 40th Ontario legislature, held after the 2011 provincial election returned a minority Liberal government. Liberals Donna Cansfield, Kevin Flynn, Dave Levac and David Zimmer. A fifth candidate, Progressive Conservative MPP Frank Klees withdrew after his bid failed to receive sufficient support from either side of the aisle.

David Zimmer dropped off after the first ballot. On the second ballot, Dave Levac was elected Speaker. The actual vote totals were not released.[1]

2014

Liberal MPP Dave Levac was re-elected to a second term as Speaker at the first session of the 41st Parliament held on July 2, 2014, becoming the first Speaker since Hugh Edighoffer to serve more than one term. Levac defeated NDP MPP Paul Miller and Progressive Conservative Rick Nicholls on the third ballot. NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo was eliminated on the first ballot and Liberal MPP Shafiq Qaadri was eliminated on the second ballot. Actual vote totals were not released.[2]

2018

PC MPP Ted Arnott was elected as Speaker at the first session of the 42nd Parliament held on July 11, 2018 on the first ballot, defeating Randy Hillier, Jane McKenna and Rick Nicholls. Arnott was one of the three longest serving members of the legislature at the time of election.

Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

LegislatureSpeaker by Order of ElectionSpeakerParty[note 1]Term BeganTerm EndedTerm Length
11Stevenson, JohnConservative27 December 18677 December 18713 years, 345 days
22Scott, Richard WilliamLiberal7 December 187121 December 187114 days
23Currie, James GeorgeLiberal21 December 187129 March 18731 year, 98 days
2, 34Wells, Rupert MearseLiberal7 January 18747 January 18806 years, 0 days
4, 55Clarke, Charles J. P.[note 2]Liberal7 January 188010 February 18877 years, 34 days
66Baxter, JacobLiberal10 February 188711 February 18914 years, 1 day
77Ballantyne, ThomasLiberal11 February 189121 February 18954 years, 10 days
88Balfour, William DouglasLiberal21 February 189514 July 18961 year, 144 days
8, 99Evanturel, Francis Eugene AlfredLiberal10 February 189710 March 19036 years, 239 days
1010Charlton, William AndrewLiberal10 March 190322 March 19052 years, 12 days
1111St. John, Joseph WesleyConservative22 March 19057 April 19072 years, 16 days
11, 1212Crawford, ThomasConservative8 April 19077 February 19124 years, 306 days
1313Hoyle, William HenryConservative7 February 191216 February 19153 years, 9 days
1414Jamieson, DavidConservative16 February 19159 March 19205 years, 22 days
1515Parliament, NelsonLiberal[note 3]9 March 19206 February 19243 years, 334 days
1616Thompson, Joseph ElijahConservative6 February 19242 February 19272 years, 361 days
1717Black, William DavidConservative2 February 19275 February 19303 years, 3 days
1818Kidd, Thomas AshmoreConservative5 February 193020 February 19355 years, 15 days
19, 2019Hipel, Norman OttoLiberal20 February 19352 September 19383 years, 194 days
2020Clark, James HowardLiberal8 March 193922 February 19444 years, 351 days
21, 2221Stewart, William JamesConservative22 February 194421 March 19473 years, 27 days
2222Hepburn, James de CongaltonConservative24 March 194710 February 19491 year, 323 days
23, 2423Davies, M.C.Conservative10 February 19498 September 19556 years, 210 days
2524Downer, AlfredProgressive Conservative (PC)8 September 195526 January 19604 years, 140 days
2625Murdoch, WilliamProgressive Conservative (PC)26 January 196029 October 19633 years, 276 days
2726Morrow, Donald HugoProgressive Conservative (PC)29 October 196314 February 19684 years, 108 days
2827Cass, Frederick McIntoshProgressive Conservative (PC)14 February 196813 December 19713 years, 302 days
2928Reuter, Allan EdwardProgressive Conservative (PC)13 December 197122 October 19742 years, 313 days
29, 30, 3129Rowe, Russell DanielProgressive Conservative (PC)22 October 197417 October 19772 years, 360 days
3130Stokes, John Edward "Jack"New Democratic Party (NDP)17 October 197721 April 19813 years, 186 days
3231Turner, John M.Progressive Conservative (PC)21 April 19814 June 19854 years, 44 days
33, 3432Edighoffer, Hugh AldenLiberal4 June 198519 November 19905 years, 168 days
3533Warner, David WilliamNew Democratic Party (NDP)19 November 199026 September 19954 years, 311 days
3634McLean, AlProgressive Conservative (PC)26 September 199526 September 19961 year, 0 days
3635Doyle, EdwardProgressive Conservative (PC)26 September 19963 October 19967 days
3636Stockwell, ChrisProgressive Conservative (PC)3 October 199620 October 19993 years, 17 days
3737Carr, GaryProgressive Conservative (PC)20 October 199919 November 20034 years, 30 days
3838Curling, AlvinLiberal19 November 200319 August 20051 year, 326 days
3839Brown, Michael A.Liberal11 October 200528 November 20072 years, 48 days
3940Peters, StephenLiberal28 November 200721 November 20113 years, 358 days
40, 4141Levac, DaveLiberal21 November 20118 May 20186 years, 168 days
4242Arnott, TedProgressive Conservative11 July 2018Present96 days

Current Deputy Speakers

Residence

The Speaker once had both reception space and an apartment within the Ontario Legislative Building. The reception space was transferred over to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario after the closure of Chorley Park in 1937 as a non-residential vice regal suite. The Speaker of the Legislature maintains a residence at the Legislature, known as the Speaker's Apartment.

Notes

  1. ↑ Progressive Conservative (PC); Conservative; Liberal; New Democratic Party (NDP)
  2. ↑ Charles Clarke was also Clerk of the Assembly from 1892-1907, being the only Member to serve as both Speaker and Clerk.
  3. ↑ Nelson Parliament was elected to the Liberal Party, however as the United Farmers won a Majority Government, and none had experience in the Legislature, Parliament was selected from the Opposition to become Speaker; he subsequently resigned his party membership and sat as an independent. To date, he is the only Ontario Speaker who has done so, while it is common practice in the United Kingdom.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Howlett, Karen (November 21, 2011). "Dave Levac elected Ontario Speaker". Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Levac re-elected Speaker". Belleville Expositor. July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
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