Mr. Speaker

Paul G. Thomas is a political science professor at the University of
Manitoba and the co-author of Canadian Public Administration:
Problematical Perspectives.

James Jerome, now the Associate Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, was the Speaker of the House of Commons for the last five years of the tumultuous Trudeau years (1974-1979) and for the brief Clark government. He has written an informal and informative account of the challenges and frustrations of the job of Speaker. Most Canadians recognize the Speaker because he presides over Question Period, the only part of Parliament’s proceedings that receives regular media attention. Jerome devotes a chapter to the problems of running Question Period, but he also provides useful discussions of other dimensions of the job, including the role of television in the House, security problems, and his role as chief administrator of what has become a sizable House of Commons staff. Appointment of the Speaker is made on the basis of a nomination by the Prime Minister, usually after consultation with the leader of the Official Opposition. Jerome went from being a Speaker whose nomination Robert Stanfield, leader of the opposition, refused to second because there was no consultation, to being the first Speaker in Canadian history to be named to that position by two Prime Ministers. Unlike other recent occupants of the chair, Jerome favours a move towards a permanent Speaker, who would enjoy a greater aura of impartiality. A step in that direction has been taken recently by the Commons’ adoption of a proposal to have the next Speaker chosen by a secret ballot of MPs without prior nomination. This is a warm and engaging book, like the author who wrote it. It provides rare glimpses into parliamentary life, including the importance of personalities, for Canadians who are interested in the institution.