Speaker of the Canadian Senate

The Speaker of the Senate of Canada (French: "Président du Sénat du Canada") is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. He or she represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and oversees debates and voting in the red chamber. This position is often misunderstood as being equivalent to that in the House of Commons — however, this is untrue. The current Speaker is the Honourable Noël Kinsella, a Conservative Senator representing the province of New Brunswick.

Appointment and Precedence

The Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. By convention, however, this advice is generally expressed exclusively by the Prime Minister. Therefore, while the appointment is technically made by the Queen's representative, the appointment is in fact made by the Prime Minister alone.

The Speaker of the Senate takes precedence only after Her Majesty the Queen, the Governor General, (former governors general and their spouses), the Prime Minister, (former prime ministers), and the Chief Justice on the Order of Precedence and, therefore, is qualified to represent Canada at official state functions, both in Canada and abroad.

History of the Speakership

The role of the Speaker in the Senate was originally based on that of the Lord Chancellor of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In keeping with the role of the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the Senate was expected to be partisan; he or she would at all times have the right to leave the Chair, to participate in debates, and to hold an original vote — unlike the Speaker of the House of Commons, who has a casting vote only in the event of a tie.

The Speaker of the Senate was also similar to the Lord Chancellor in that he or she was considered equal to other senators. Decisions of the Chair were not binding on the Senate unless the Speaker's decision was also the pleasure of a majority of senators. Also similar to the practice of the Lords was that the Speaker would not intervene unless another senator brought the matter to the attention of the Speaker. Decisions from the Chair remain subject to appeals from the Senate.

Canada has more recently departed with the traditions of the House of Lords, notably since 1991, when new rules for the Senate were adopted. The new Standing Orders made it clear that the Speaker of the Senate "could" intervene without being called to do so by the Senate. The new guidelines move the Senate further from the self-governing practices of the House of Lords, and more toward the Chair-governed customs of the House of Commons.

Role of the Speakership

The Speaker of the Senate is historically responsible for deciding on points of order, only once risen by another senator. However, with recent amendments to the Standing Orders and guidelines that govern the Senate of Canada, the Speakership has generally begun to assert its right to intervene, where appropriate, without being prompted to do so. Therefore the Speaker is, broadly speaking, responsible for the maintenance of order and decorum in the Senate.

As a high-ranking individual on the order of precedence, the Speaker of the Senate often receives heads of state and heads of government — this role is not merely ceremonial; the Speaker is a real delegate and representative of Canada abroad. He or she is expected to represent Canada internationally, and is sometimes called upon to travel to other nations on behalf of the Government of Canada.

While the Speaker is an officer of the Senate, he or she also remains a representative of the province from which they were appointed. Unlike the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Speaker has the right to participate in debates on behalf of the citizens of his or her province or territory. The Speaker has the right to cast an original vote, and to simultaneously preside over the voting process (rather than the Speaker delivering a casting vote in the event of an equality, the question before the House is deemed to have been rejected).

Another significant difference between the two Speakers is that the Speaker of the House of Commons holds a management role within the administration of the House of Commons as Chair of the Board of Internal Economy. The Speaker of the Senate holds no similar role, and the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration is chaired by another Senator.

In the absence of the Speaker in the Chamber, his duties are carried by the Speaker "pro tempore", a Senator appointed at the beginning of each session by the Senate. Should both Chair officers be absent, any Senator can be called upon to take the Chair. Irrespective of who is in the Chair, their decisions hold the same force as that of the Speaker.

Current and Historical Speakers

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/Key/SP-BL/sen/index.asp?Language=E Speakers of the Senate] — Official site, maintained by the Government of Canada.