Canada's House Of Commons Elects Liberal Party MP Rota As Speaker

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2019) Canadian Members of Parliament elected the Liberal Party's Anthony Rota as Speaker of the House of Commons in a vote on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday.

"I want to thank all of you for giving me the biggest honor of my political career, being here, chosen as Speaker," Rota said.

Rota, who is from the riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming, beat out fellow Liberal and outgoing Speaker Geoff Regan, Conservatives Joel Godin and Bruce Stanton, and the lone female candidate Carol Hughes, a New Democrat for the coveted position.

The vote precedes the Speech from the Throne that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver later today. At the commencement of a new Parliament, no business can take place before in the House of Commons before a Speaker has been elected and taken the chair.

The vote is conducted via preferential ballot, meaning MP's will rank the candidates listed on the ballot by writing the number one (1) next to their first choice, the number two (2) next to their second choice and so on; it is not necessary to rank all of the candidates. The process will continue until a majority is reached. The vote, which is presided over by the Dean of the House, the member with the longest unbroken record of service, Louis Plamondon, a member of the Bloc Quebecois.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, aside from presiding over the proceedings, maintains a host of administrative, representative and budgetary functions including overseeing a parliamentary budget of C$500 million (around USD $380 million).

The House of Commons is the lower chamber of Canada's bicameral parliamentary system alongside the Senate.