By Lincoln DePradine

Grenadian Dr Jean Augustine, a retired Canadian politician, has hailed the ascension of Black MP Greg Fergus to the position of Speaker of the House of Commons, where she once served as a Member of Parliament.

“I am really excited that my brother Greg is now holding the responsibility of Speaker,’’ Augustine said in an interview.

Fergus, 54, replaces Anthony Rota, who resigned as Speaker after inviting to the parliament, Yaroslav Hunka, who served under Nazi command in World War Two. Hunka’s unit has been accused of killing Polish and Jewish civilians.

In a secret ballot by parliamentarians, Fergus beat out six other candidates who had been vying for the Speaker’s job, which includes maintaining order and decorum in parliament, enforcing the rules of the house, and chairing debates.

“Respect and decorum — I’m going to be working hard on this and I need all your help to make this happen,’’ Fergus said in his first remarks from the Speaker’s chair after being elected.

“Respect is a fundamental part of what we do here. We need to make sure that we treat each other with respect and we show Canadians that example. There can be no dialogue unless there’s a mutual understanding of respect.’’

Fergus, whose grandfather immigrated to Canada from Montserrat, was first elected as a Quebec MP in 2015. He was reelected in 2019 and 2021.

As an MP, Fergus has served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as an assistant to the Treasury Board president and to the minister of health.

Trudeau and the leaders of the Conservative and New Democratic Parties, and also the Bloc Québécois, applauded the election of Fergus as Canada’s first Black Speaker of the House of Commons.

His election, the prime minister said, “should be inspiring for all Canadians, especially younger generations who want to get involved in politics’’.

Young people of colour “haven’t always seen themselves reflected in the makeup of the House of Commons’’, said NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Now, however, “kids across the country will see a Black Canadian holding this vital role’’, he added.

“This is a special position and racialized Canadians across the country can take pride that Mr Fergus is the first person of colour to hold the role of Speaker.’’

Fergus, in his youth, served as a parliamentary page and was president of the Young Liberals of Canada from 1994 to 1996.

Augustine, who was Liberal Party MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore from 1993 to 2006, and served as Deputy Speaker, recalled Fergus also performing duties as a ministerial staffer, before his own run for elected political office in Quebec.

“He’s amply qualified. He’s spent his whole life in politics, more or less,’’ said Augustine, who also is a former Minister of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women.

“He’s also very personable, someone that one can approach; his demeanour is always one that shows positivity and friendliness and generosity,’’ she said.

Augustine said Fergus, who is fluent in English and French, is quite familiar with what the Speaker’s job entails.

“To be bilingual is important. It’s something I’ve been saying a lot to our young people,’’ said Augustine, who was born and raised in Happy Hill.

“If you want to get somewhere, especially in the political realm, make sure that you take French because that is so important; that you could operate in a situation where the facility in language is important.’’