One-on-one with former House Speaker Geoff Reagan | Power Play with Vassy Kapelos

The POS the position rather just a few years ago Jeff Regan was the Speaker of the House of Commons and he’s live with us I believe from Halifax hi Mr Regan great to see you great to see you vashy uh we heard all the candidates who

Were running for this job talk about the prospect or their desire to restore decorum is that necessary do you think I think it is uh I view uh Our House of Commons as the central Focus um of our democracy and as the image of our

Democracy and I think that uh if we want people to uh have confidence in democracy uh I would like to see that image improved at the same time um it is a competition it is an adversarial system there should be a competition between the parties they should be able

To be to be uh rigorous and forceful in debate but it I always felt that uh or certainly by the time I became speaker and even before that I I came to the conclusion that um that heckling was a problem that wasn’t a good thing that wasn’t necessary that didn’t achieve

Anything except to try to intimidate people and I think that we could do without it uh and I wish the new speaker every success in uh in his attempts uh to to succeed in that regard based on the time you spent in the role how challenging is it to

Achieve the balance you just mentioned the idea that this is a competition there is a level of partisanship I mean in politics after all but that the stuff like the heckling can often serve as uh you know to create a negative impression among Canadians uh I think it’s a real

Challenge you you know on the one hand you have uh the right of free expression which is very important for every member and it’s it’s a it’s a vital thing for the speaker to enforce the speakers there to help make sure that the executive the Prime Minister and cabinet

Report to the House of Commons are answerable to the House of Commons are can be held accountable by the House of Commons and not the other way around and the same sense the speaker is the servant not of the Prime Minister not of the government but of the house and its

Representative so it’s this in our democracy and that’s why as Speaker for example I sometimes ruled against the government and there were sometimes uh Sometimes the best days were the days when each side was equally unhappy with me but that’s the way it goes and that’s the responsibility of the

Job I say the same thing when I go home and night um it was it difficult at all I mean I think that obviously leading into this election there’s a lot of debate I think here in the House of Commons about partisanship and who is partisan who is in the displays of

Partisanship was it difficult to step outside of your partisan leanings in Your Capacity as Speaker I don’t think so I think um I mean reminds me of when you become a federal Minister you take on the duty you feel the sense of Duty as I’ve said

To others you know as a member of parliament you’re responsible to all the people who voted for you and those who didn’t too both everyone in your constituency you have a federal Minister you’re responsible to the whole country and you have to think about the whole country and its issues and as the

Speaker you have a responsibility to all members of the house and and especially to the house as an institution and and speaking of that point I do have to ask you Mr Regan just for your general Impressions about what unfolded to kind of provide the impetus for this election

And by that I mean the circumstances that led to Anthony roa’s resignation as you saw the that kind of play out in the days following the recognition of that individual in the house after president zelinsky’s address what was going through your mind well um look I was I thought it was

A very regrettable incident uh it was a serious error I I it didn’t surprise me in view of that that my friend Anthony Roda took the step he did eventually and I respect his decision and I certainly wish him well um because it’s there’s no question it’s an important role and uh

It’s important um to me in terms of the institution of the speaker it’s a very important institution in our democracy and um it’s challenged to uphold a very high level and so uh I you know I wish Mr Fergus who’s a dear friend uh the very best and every success and U you

Know I think his chances of being much better than I ever was are probably very good if uh he may already have but if he does call and asks for your advice what is the chief piece of advice that you would give him in this

Role well I I’ll think of some more but perhaps it’s the one that was given to me by my director of communications early in my term after a very frustrating question period uh she told me the story of when former speaker jilber Pon was the host of The Commonwealth speakers conference and he

Asked the speaker from India how do you control over 500 members and the speaker answered I don’t I control myself and that was the single best piece of advice I think I can recall getting as Speaker I like it also advice I can use too thanks Mr Regan a real pleasure to

Have you on our program tonight thanks very much

A former House of Commons Speaker Geoff Reagan discusses the responsibilities and recommendations for Liberal MP Greg Fergus.

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