Mr. Fraser, the first and one of the most important tasks of the members upon the opening of a new parliament is the election of the Speaker of the house. The member whom we choose will preside over our deliberations and direct the services which are essential to the efficient guidance of our business; he will also represent us on numerous occasions in Canada as well as abroad.

To perform these functions, and to perform them to our satisfaction, he will require a formidable array of qualities. He must enjoy our respect without losing our affection. He must be firm yet sensitive, a master of language and a good listener, able to interpret the law and to understand human nature. He must be prepared to cite a precedent, and to know when to distinguish it. It will be helpful if he has a good sense of humour, and if

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Election of Speaker

he can be equally witty in both languages. He needs the skills of a judge and a diplomat. He should combine the talents of a tight-rope walker, a juggler and, occasionally, a lion tamer. In short, he must be a born parliamentarian.

It was our good fortune to find such a man for our Speaker in the last parliament. At the beginning of this session it is reassuring to nominate a man who has demonstrated these qualities and who now has behind him the experience of an eventful and sometimes hectic parliament.

The distinguished career of the Hon. Lucien Lamoureux has prepared him particularly well to fulfil the role of Speaker. Born in Ottawa, where he also studied, he spent the greater part of his life within a few miles of parliament hill. After having been admitted to the bar in Ontario, he became executive assistant to the Minister of Transport. Since 1954, he has practised law at Cornwall, where he took an active part in public affairs, particularly in the field of education. Elected member for Stormont in 1962 for the first time, he was re-elected in 1963, 1965 and 1968. He was appointed Deputy Speaker of the house and Chairman of committees of the whole for the 26th parliament. He was Speaker of the house of Commons during the 27th parliament.

At the end of the last parliament, a large number of members from all parties paid tribute to the way in which he had fulfilled his duties by agreeing that his seat should not be contested in the election. I know that the hon. member firmly believes that independence is necessary to the good operation of the speakership and I welcomed with pleasure the co-operation of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Stanfield) and of the leaders of the other parties who did not contest his election as an independent member.

To propose a former speaker and an independent member for the speakership of the house constitute two precedents which I am pleased to create. Those precedents give an idea of the new role that the Speaker will be called upon to play.

At every session of parliament the amount of legislation and other parliamentary business increases substantially, while the amount of time available for debates in the house remains virtually the same. If

[Mr. Trudeau.)

parliament is to play its proper role we must ensure that the available time is used wisely and fairly. An active Speaker who enjoys the confidence and support of the members can greatly improve the performance of the house. This has been our experience and the experience of other Commonwealth parliaments.

In the last parliament we agreed to abolish appeals from the Speaker's rulings. All who were members of the house during that parliament would agree, I believe, that this improved our proceedings without detracting from the rights of individual members. The special committee on procedure, which visited the United Kingdom parliament last winter, reported:

Again and again during the days we were at Westminster we were impressed by the key role as the impartial conductor of the work of parliament conferred on the Speaker.

When neither rules nor understandings can be devised to guide, the wisdom and diligence of Mr. Speaker prevails. Experience has shown that an officer of his high standing is needed. At Westminster he has been given both heavy duties and countervailing independence and honour. Undoubtedly, the independence of the Speaker and the power vested in him constitute a condition precedent to the effectiveness of parliamentary procedure in the United Kingdom.

I am convinced that these remarks apply with equal force to our own house. That is why the policy of strengthening the Speaker's independence and increasing his responsibilities has been advanced and supported by many members in all parts of the house. That is why I feel certain that the members of the house will support me in urging the Speaker, with respect, not to hesitate to restrain abuses of the rules and irrelevancy, no matter on which side of the aisle they arise.

I am sure that all hon. members will want to join with me to express our feeling that, of all the members of this house, the Hon. Lucien Lamoureux is the most qualified by his temperament, his knowledge and his experience to assume the heavy responsibilities of the office for which I have the honour to propose his candidacy.

Therefore I take great pleasure in moving, seconded by the Leader of the Opposition, that Lucien Lamoureux, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Stormont-Dundas, do take the Chair of this house as Speaker.

Hear, hear.

September 12, 1968

Hon. Robert L. Slaniield (Leader of the Opposition):

Mr. Fraser, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to second the Prime Minister's nomination of the member for Stor-mont-Dundas as Speaker for this first session of the twenty eighth parliament.

Mr. Lamoureux, who was elected Speaker at the first session of the 27th Parliament, has always since then discharged that important office with tact, diplomacy, firmness and with complete and scrupulous impartiality.

Coupled with these qualities has been an innate wisdom, comprehension and respect for the parliamentary process, for parliament and the rights of members of parliament.

I might mention, sir, that at Mr. Lamou-reux's election the Prime Minister of the day addressed his words to the then Clerk, Mr. Raymond. Today, only a short time later, although the procedure is the same you, Mr. Fraser, have succeeded Mr. Raymond and at the opening of this new session I take the occasion to wish you well.

Hear, hear.

Mr. Stanfield:

The appointment of a permanent Speaker remains one of the necessary objectives of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary improvement. I hope we can all agree upon the urgency of taking action in this regard. I hope also I will be forgiven for saying here that I am proud of the role played by the members of the Progressive Conservative party in Stormont-Dundas in order that Mr. Lamoureux could come to parliament bearing as much as possible the stamp of non-partisan approval. But the traditional rights of party supporters to nominate candidates in Stormont-Dundas must not be forgotten. Therefore it is urgent in that respect as well as for the regulation of parliamentary procedure that early consideration be given to alternative methods of removing the election of the Speaker from partisan considerations.

[DOT] (11:00 a.m.)

I am glad to say it again: The choice of Mr. Lamoureux is a happy one. His past rulings show the attachment and the respect he has for the institution whose standing orders he had to apply. While men come and

Election of Speaker

go, the continuity of institutions ensures the survival, the strength of democracy.

But the institutions must keep abreast of the times-and the same is true of parliament-and in that sense, I think that when the office of Speaker becomes permanent, we will have taken a step forward.

The Speaker is the chief officer of parliament. He has been the bulwark of the privileges of parliament and its members. In the continuity of the office of Speaker and its progressive removal from the exigencies of partisan conflict lie the best guarantees of parliament's survival as the basic institution of freedom. In the eyes of the Speaker there are no parties in parliament, there are only members equal as to rights and privileges, equally entitled to consideration. It is this which makes parliament the supreme instrument of man's designing for the defence of freedom.

Mr. Lamoureux has been and I am sure will continue to remain an outstanding exponent of these great principles and traditions. Personally and on behalf of the members of this party in the house I extend to him my congratulations, anticipating the outcome of the motion with great confidence, and my best wishes as he resumes his most important duties at the opening of this session of parliament.

Hear, hear. [Translation]

Mr. David Lewis (York South):

Mr. Fraser, we already have had the experience and the pleasure of having Mr. Lamoureux as a Speaker, and he has always displayed fairness, kindness and wisdom. What more could we ask of the man who is now our Speaker?

I note, Mr. Fraser, that Mr. Lamoureux is sitting in the opposition benches of the chamber, determined to show his independence even before he is officially elected Speaker. This is perhaps characteristic of the man's sense of propriety, and humour as well.

I want to agree with the right hon. Prime Minister and the Leader of the Official Opposition on behalf of my colleagues and myself with the necessity of constitutional arrangements in respect of a permanent Speaker in this house, without any constituency in the land being deprived of the opportunity of an electoral contest. That step will receive all

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Election of Speaker

our support. I also noted that the right hon. Prime Minister, as an expert lawyer, emphasized the fact that the Speaker must be able not only to interpret the rules but also to distinguish them when the situation requires. In that agile effort of applying the rules with impartiality and good nature to the particular situation, Mr. Lamoureux has already shown himself to be a master.

It is with very deep pleasure that we of the New Democratic party support his candidature for this office and offer him the cooperation which I know he will receive from all hon. members of the house.

Mr. Real Caouelte (Temiscamingue):

Mr. Fraser, when the appointment of a permanent Speaker was discussed some months ago, the Hon. Lucien Lamoureux was suggested for this position, and we were happy to think that he might become permanent Speaker of this house. The hon. Lucien Lamoureux possesses obvious qualities thanks to which he has shown himself to be, during the 27th Parliament, one of the great Speakers in the history of the House of Commons. He acted with impartiality, and even when Parliament was led by a minority government, he managed to do a difficult job very well, in spite of a situation which was often rather awkward.

This time, the Speaker will preside over the deliberations of a parliament led by a majority government, and this for the first time in six years. At this time, I feel that the hon. Mr. Lamoureux has, once again, all the unquestionable qualities required to know that we must protect the minorities. Now, we will be a minority. I am of the opinion, in short, I am already convinced that the hon. Mr. Lamoureux will treat the members of parliament, the appointees of the people as they should be treated in a democratic parliament. We have been appointed by the Canadian people: the hon. Mr. Lamoureux knows that.

We, of the Ralliement Creditiste, are indeed very happy to support fully the motion of the right hon. Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau), seconded by the Leader of the Official Opposition (Mr. Stanfield), for the appointment of the hon. Mr. Lamoureux as Speaker of the house during the session opening today.

Therefore, we wish every success to the hon. Mr. Lamoureux, and we feel sure that the members will be treated equitably, in all

fairness, for the common good of the Canadian people.

The Clerk of the House declared the motion carried in the affirmative, nemine contradicente, and Lucien Lamoureux, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Stormont-Dundas, duly elected to the Chair of the house.

Mr. Lamoureux was conducted from his seat in the house to the Speaker's chair by Right Hon. P.-E. Trudeau and Hon. Robert L. Stanfield.

[DOT] (11:10 a.m.)

Mr. Speaker:

Hon. members, I thank you for the honour you have just bestowed upon me, an honour which is shared by my family and by the constituents I represent in this parliament.

For the second time you have called me to the high office of Speaker of the House of Commons. I am deeply grateful to you for this renewed expression of confidence. When I stood before you as Speaker-elect to the twenty seventh parliament I undertook to serve this house and to serve parliament with fairness, objectivity and impartiality. This is my renewed pledge to the house on this solemn occasion.

Hear, hear.

Mr. Speaker:

I will again consider it an honour and my duty to uphold the rights and privileges of individual members of the house and to maintain our parliamentary customs and traditions, and I am sure all hon. members will want to co-operate with their presiding officer to ensure that in its deliberations our assembly will always observe the highest standards of decorum, propriety and dignity.

I therefore thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and I thank you, hon. members, for the great honour that you have just bestowed upon me.

I am deeply touched, of course, by the much too flattering remarks of the Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau) and I am also grateful to the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Stanfield who, in much too gracious terms, was kind enough to support the Prime Minister's motion. The remarks made by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition as

September 12, 1968

well as those made by the hon. members for York South and Temiscamingue (Messrs. Lewis and Caouette) are for me today a source of comfort and encouragement and will be a source of strength, if need be, in difficult moments.

In the discharge of the high office devolved upon me, I shall do my utmost to deserve the confidence placed in me today by all members of this house.

As in the past, I shall count on the cooperation and goodwill of all hon. members. I will rely on them for advice, especially on those of our colleagues who bring to our debate the wisdom of age and a long experience in this house.

Such a co-operation will contribute more than any other factor to the orderly, efficient and dignified dispatch of our parliamentary business.

Hon. members, I approach my task with humility and fully conscious of my limitations, but sustained by your advice and counsel I shall endeavour to prove worthy of the trust committed to me by this house whose servant I am.

Hear, hear.