Conservative MP Claims Unfair Expulsion by Speaker of the House

A day after being expelled from the House of Commons, Conservative MP Rachael Thomas argued that the decision by the House Speaker was a mistake, as she had retracted her comments.

On April 30, during a tense question period, Ms. Thomas was kicked out of Parliament for criticizing House Speaker Greg Fergus’s handling of the House. Despite retracting her statement shortly after, she was still removed from the House.

“Mr. Speaker, I said that the Chair’s actions were disgraceful. I take back my words,” Ms. Thomas stated during a point of privilege on May 1, referring to an informal transcript of the previous day’s proceedings.

Ms. Thomas argued that her retraction should have been accepted, as it was clear and unambiguous. She highlighted a discrepancy between the unofficial and official transcripts, pointing out that her withdrawal was not included in the latter. She also mentioned that another MP had confirmed her retraction to Mr. Fergus.

The Conservative MP expressed frustration that her constituents were deprived of representation in the House of Commons due to her expulsion, especially considering there was a scheduled vote after the Question Period that day.

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After Ms. Thomas’s statement, Mr. Fergus encouraged her to provide all pertinent details to his office for further review of the matter.

Calls for Speaker to Resign

Following Ms. Thomas’s expulsion, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also asked to leave for insulting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and refusing to retract his comments on drug policies. Critics, including Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs, have called for Mr. Fergus’s resignation.

Conservative MP Michael Cooper demanded Mr. Fergus’s resignation, labeling him as a “disgrace.” Bloc MPs also criticized his handling of the House of Commons, urging him to step down.

On April 30, former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair denounced the expulsions as blatant partisanship and joined calls for Mr. Fergus to resign. He described the Speaker’s performance as poor and called for his voluntary resignation.

Despite growing pressure, Mr. Fergus’s office stated on May 1 that he has no plans to resign, dismissing calls for his departure as unfounded.