44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 21, 2024 10:00AM
- May/21/24 1:10:11 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, talking about pattern of behaviour, we see in the House a party, the New Democratic Party, not acting as the opposition party it was elected as, but as the government's lapdog. It is absolutely pathetic. When we talk about Canadians and what—
46 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/21/24 1:18:48 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize that every single member who has been elected to this place has a really important role to play, whether in government or in opposition. When it comes to a minority Parliament, one of the ways of advancing important legislation and programs for Canadians to respond to their needs is to work together.
What I am finding challenging in the conversation today is that I hear some constructive feedback from some members, saying this is a way we could move forward. Then I see an official opposition that never had to play nicely in the sandbox and does not remember the primary principles of kindergarten, where we can work together to deliver for our constituents across the country.
I will always fight for the constituents of the riding of Waterloo and I will try to work with whomever I can to ensure they have the programs and services they need.
When it comes to legislation like this, what is the value and importance of members remembering why we are elected and how do we deliver for constituents? Do we do better by working together or do we just blindly oppose and not get anything done?
201 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/21/24 3:20:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who truly was a distinguished and honourable member of the House. I speak of John Allen Fraser, whose role as Speaker of the House of Commons will always be remembered with affection and respect.
He passed away last month in Vancouver at the age of 92. His legacies were many: 21 years as a member of Parliament, membership in the federal cabinet in multiple postings and seven years as Speaker of the House of Commons. Perhaps the most memorable for those of us in Parliament, in this chamber, is that he was the first Speaker to be elected directly in a secret ballot by members of the House. Why did this happen? It was that John Fraser was a decent and a courteous man who treated people with respect, no matter where they came from or what their political colours were. He was the best of us.
John Fraser was born in 1931 in Yokohama, Japan. Three years later, his family returned to Canada, eventually settling in Vancouver. As a teenager, he worked in a lumber mill in the interior of British Columbia. It was there where he gained a lifelong appreciation for nature and where he developed his work ethic that carried him through law school at the University of British Columbia, through the Canadian Army Reserve training and, of course, through an extensive career in public service.
He was first elected to the House in 1972 as a Progressive Conservative in the riding of Vancouver South. He was re-elected in five further elections. During those two decades, he served his constituents and his country well from all sides: the opposition, the government and the Speaker's chair. In government, he served as environment minister, postmaster general, and minister of fisheries and oceans. It was in the fall of 1986 that history was truly made. Reform was brought to the House. No longer would the Speaker be nominated by the prime minister of the day, to be merely confirmed by the House.
At 3 p.m. on September 30, the House was convened so that members could directly elect their new Speaker. Eleven rounds of voting were needed, and the results were not announced until 1:48 a.m. John Allen Fraser was elected by his peers to the position of 32nd Speaker of the House. He would hold this office with distinction until his retirement from political life in 1993, and yet, he had not finished serving his country.
His love of nature was genuine and profound. In January 1994, he was appointed Canada's ambassador to the United Nations for the environment, a position he held until December 1997. He was a man who loved his family and his country deeply.
We were lucky to call him our Speaker. We were fortunate to have him in the House, and we shall always be thankful for his and his family's service to Canada.
498 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/21/24 3:27:37 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to honour John Fraser today, whom I had the honour of working with for many years when he was a minister and when he was Speaker of the House. He was the proud representative of the riding of Vancouver South from 1972 to 1993.
In 1986, Mr. Fraser was the first MP elected Speaker of the House of Commons by secret ballot. Prior to this first election in the House, the Prime Minister appointed the Speaker, and the leaders of the other parties simply gave their approval. As was mentioned earlier, in this election, it took 11 rounds before he was elected. We finished at around 1:30 a.m., and the procedure was subsequently changed. He held this position continuously until his retirement in 1993. Decisions made at the time by Speaker Fraser are still cited today.
I want to tell a little story. Speaker John Fraser was very clever. At one point, when I was serving as an independent member, I asked a question that he found to be a bit radical, I guess. He asked me to withdraw some of my comments, which, being a good MP, I willingly agreed to do. To my great surprise, two or three weeks later, the Prime Minister used the same expression and so I asked the Speaker if he was also going to ask the Prime Minister to withdraw his remarks, since that is what I had done. He told me that he would think about it.
That is when I understood that he was very clever. He gave his answer when I was absent, even though I had been there every day to hear what he had to say on the matter. He decided that it was fine for the Prime Minister to have said what he did, so I went to the Speaker's office to meet with him and ask him why it was okay for the Prime Minister to have made those comments. He said that the reason was very simple. It was that my tone was aggressive, whereas the Prime Minister's tone was humorous, and so it was more understandable. We can see how clever and original Speaker Fraser was.
I remember him as a charming man, and we liked to call him John outside his official duties. He was such a pleasure to be around. He would invite everyone to a cocktail party at the end of the year, where he would wear a kilt and serve a good Scotch from the same region. He was also an honest, articulate and dedicated man. He could be authoritarian at times, but always eager to serve all members effectively. His re-election as Speaker was merely a procedural matter, because he was so well liked by all members of the House.
Of course, he is being remembered as Speaker of the House, but he was also an excellent environment minister and served as minister of fisheries and oceans. He got in a bit of hot water at the time and, apparently, he did not eat tuna for several months. Anyone who looks it up will understand what I mean. After retiring from Parliament, he continued to be a strong advocate for Pacific salmon conservation in British Columbia and with a number of groups. He also served as an ambassador.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I extend our sincere condolences to his entire family. Farewell, Mr. Speaker. He was a dedicated member of Parliament, a capable minister and an exceptional Speaker.
597 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/21/24 3:32:07 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Hon. John Allen Fraser, former member, 32nd Speaker of the House of Commons, minister of the environment and minister of fisheries and oceans. Roughly two years ago, I rose during this Parliament to honour former Speaker John Bosley following his passing. It is with a heavy heart that I rise to honour his successor, Mr. Fraser.
As mentioned in the speeches we just heard, Mr. Fraser had the distinction of the being the first Speaker of the House of Commons to be elected, as the position was previously filled through an appointment process by the Prime Minister.
Having been a candidate for the position several times, I can say that it is not easy to put one's name on the ballot and explain to our colleagues in the House why they should put their trust in us and choose us to be the arbiter of the rules of the House. It is a great responsibility for a parliamentarian to accept the challenge of this role, given the nature of the debates. It is also a great responsibility to determine that the candidate is better suited to being not a player, but an arbiter.
On the day he was elected as Speaker, Mr. Fraser famously said in an interview with the CBC, “I've sat on the opposition side, I've sat as a minister and I've sat as a private member on the government side. I think I've got a pretty fair idea of how members feel about exercising their responsibilities and their obligations in the chamber.”
He was clearly correct in his assessment, because it took the MPs at the time just 11 ballots to come to that conclusion and elect him as the first Speaker. He would remain in this position for an astonishing seven years and 108 days, from 1986 to 1994.
Speaker Fraser would continue to have a momentous career beyond the time of his retirement as a member of Parliament in 1994. He would go on to be appointed to the United Nations as Canada's ambassador for the environment until 1997.
Speaker Fraser spent the first four years of his life in Japan, where his father sold lumber. Those early days must have had a profound influence on him. In his obituary, his family indicated, “One of his proudest moments while serving as Speaker, was being witness to the Government of Canada announcing redress for Japanese Canadians.”
Speaker Fraser would go on to be honoured by his country for his service on numerous occasions, including twice as an officer of the Order of Canada. He would also receive the Vimy Award for making a significant contribution to the defence and security of Canada.
It is once again difficult to put into words the importance of the legacy Speaker Fraser brings to this House. I would say to John's family that I know they have lost a tremendous individual who dedicated so much of himself to Canada. I thank them for having supported him along the way and for sharing him with all of us.
On behalf of the New Democratic Party caucus and our leader, the member for Burnaby South, we extend our deepest condolences to his daughters Sheena, Anna and Mary, as well as their families, his friends and former colleagues, and all who were blessed to have known him.
May he rest in peace.
580 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/21/24 3:42:14 p.m.
- Watch
Colleagues, I thank you for the kind words and thoughts that you have shared and the deep respect you have shown for our 32nd Speaker, the Hon. John Allen Fraser. He lived a long, rich life in service to his country.
I was a page standing in front of this chair, and I can tell everyone how inspiring he was. I can also say how his shoes squeaked every time he stood up, which gave the signal to the pages to stand. When asked what advice he would give a young person, he said, “Try mightily to maintain a vivid curiosity about everything, care about things a great deal and have courage.” Those are, indeed, words to grow and live by.
He had a deep love for the traditions and history of this place. He said that democracy does not function well without a sense of history and that we cannot take freedom and civility for granted. In many ways, his career path led him inevitably to this chamber and to this chair. He started in law and moved into politics.
John Fraser was always interested in politics and an active member of the Progressive Conservative Party, so he finally decided to take the step that everyone here has taken and run for a seat in the House of Commons.
He was elected for the first time in 1972 in the riding of Vancouver South, and he obviously served his constituents well because he was re-elected five times.
He served as Speaker from 1986 to 1994. Following the enactment of significant changes to the Standing Orders, many of his decisions created the basic interpretation of our modern rules and redefined what is appropriate practice in our chamber today.
John Fraser lived a long life of service. We are very grateful for his service to Canada and to this place.
He was also, as was mentioned by several members, a man who loved nature and all creatures, great and small. I heard an interesting anecdote about Speaker Fraser when he used to live at the farm, the official residence for the Speaker. One year there was an infestation of raccoons, and the people who take care of the official residence thought it was appropriate to set raccoon traps throughout the property. Mr. Fraser thought otherwise, so he would get up early, at the crack of dawn, armed with a broomstick, and set off all the traps along the property so the raccoons would not get hurt, much to the befuddlement of the people who took care of the official residence, as they wondered why all the traps were set off and not one raccoon was caught in them.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, who are here with us today. We hope that John Fraser's remarkable contributions to Canada will bring comfort to his family in their time of grief.
I thank his family for being with him and having him serve not only this place but our great country.
506 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
