Dean of the House (Canada)

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In Canada, the dean of the House (French : doyen de la Chambre) is the sitting Member of the House of Commons with the longest unbroken record of service. The dean is responsible for presiding over the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons at the beginning of each Parliament. The position is the equivalent of the Father of the House in the British House of Commons.

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Following a general election, or the resignation or death of the sitting Speaker, the House meets to elect a new Speaker. [1] This was started in 1986, though Speaker John Bosley presided at the time. The first time the modern election system for speaker was used was in 1994.

During these elections, the Dean of the House takes the role of presiding officer. If the longest-serving member is a Cabinet Minister, party Leader, House Leader or Whip, they cannot act as presiding officer. [2] In 1994, following the 1993 Canadian federal election, Liberal member Len Hopkins filled this role as his caucus mate Herb Gray, then the longest-serving member, was in Cabinet under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. [3] Although Gray was in cabinet, he was still referred to as Dean both in Hansard [4] and by the press. [5] Gray was also the longest-serving dean of the House up until that point, holding the role for 14 years from 1988 until 2002.

The current dean of the House is Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon, who was first elected to the Commons as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party at the 1984 federal general election. [6] In 2023, Plamondon eclipsed Gray as the longest-serving dean of the House, with 15 years in the role. The second-longest serving MP is currently Liberal Lawrence MacAulay, who has served continuously since the 1988 federal election. MacAulay is currently serving as a minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet, however, so he would not be allowed to serve as Dean should Plamondon vacate his seat. Instead, MP Hedy Fry, a Liberal first elected in 1993, would act in his place. Upon the resignation of Speaker Anthony Rota in 2023, Plamondon served for the sixth time as presiding officer in the election of the Speaker. [7]

The chart below refers to longest-serving members, some of whom served in frontbench roles and, as such, did not preside over the election of the Speaker.

List of longest-serving members

MemberPartyEntered HouseBecame longest-serving memberLeft HouseYears as an MPYears as Dean
John Costigan.jpg John Costigan Liberal-Conservative (until 1906)1867June 23, 1896March 5, 19074011
Liberal (after 1906)
John Graham Haggart.jpg John Graham Haggart Conservative 1872March 5, 1907March 13, 1913416
The Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier Photo C (HS85-10-16873) - tight crop.jpg Wilfrid Laurier [note 1] Liberal 1874March 13, 1913February 17, 1919456
John Dowsley Reid.jpg John D. Reid Conservative 1891February 17, 1919December 6, 1921302
William Findlay Maclean.png William F. MacLean Unionist 1892December 6, 1921September 14, 1926345
Rodolphe Lemieux.jpg Rodolphe Lemieux Liberal 1896September 14, 1926July 28, 1930344
Charles Marcil2.jpg Charles Marcil Liberal 1900July 28, 1930March 22, 1937377
Ernest Lapointe.jpg Ernest Lapointe Liberal 1904March 22, 1937November 26, 1941374
Arthur Cardin.jpg Arthur Cardin Liberal (until 1942)1911November 26, 1941October 21, 1946355
Independent (after 1942)
Charles Gavan Power portrait.jpg Charles Gavan Power Liberal 1917October 21, 1946July 28, 1955389
William Earl Rowe.jpg William Earl Rowe Progressive Conservative 1925July 28, 1955April 8, 1963388
Azellus Denis (homme politique canadien).jpg Azellus Denis Liberal 1935April 8, 1963February 3, 1964291
Paulmartinsr.jpg Paul Martin Sr. [note 2] Liberal 1935February 3, 1964June 25, 1968334
John Diefenbaker in the Toronto Star, 1960.jpg John Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative 1940June 25, 1968August 16, 19793911
Walter Dinsdale Progressive Conservative 1951August 16, 1979November 20, 1982313
Robert Coates [note 3] Progressive Conservative 1957November 20, 1982November 21, 1988316
Herb Gray 2008.jpg Herb Gray [note 4] Liberal 1962November 21, 1988January 14, 20024014
Charles Caccia Liberal 1968January 14, 2002June 28, 2004362
Bill Blaikie.JPG Bill Blaikie New Democrat 1979June 28, 2004October 14, 2008294
Louis Plamondon [note 5] Progressive Conservative (until 1990)1984October 14, 2008incumbent3915 (as of 2023)
Bloc Québécois (1990–2018)
Québec Debout (2018)
Bloc Québécois (2018–present)

Notes

  1. Served as party leader during his tenure as longest-serving member.
  2. Served as a cabinet minister during his tenure as longest-serving member.
  3. Along with Lloyd Crouse.
  4. Served as a cabinet minister during his tenure as longest-serving member.
  5. Served as party leader and interim party leader during his tenure as longest-serving member.

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References

  1. Election of the Speaker of the House. House of Commons. Canada. March 2006. Last accessed May 17, 2015.
  2. Election of the Speaker of the House. House of Commons. Canada. March 2006. Last accessed July 1, 2009.
  3. "Hansard", or Publications of the House of Commons, January 17, 1994, Debates (No. 1). Last accessed May 17, 2015.
  4. "Hansard #135 37-1". January 20, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  5. "Longtime former MP Herb Gray dies at 82". Windsor Star . April 21, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  6. Campion-Smith, Bruce (May 16, 2007). "Veteran MP set to retire". The Toronto Star.
  7. Tasker, John Paul (September 26, 2023). "Anthony Rota resigns as Speaker after honouring Ukrainian veteran who fought with Nazi unit". CBC News.