CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Veteran PC MLA Colin LaVie has been elected the new speaker for P.E.I.'s legislative assembly.
The legislature has a new Speaker, and he will come from the government side of the house.
Souris-Elmira MLA Colin LaVie was elected Speaker of the legislature on Thursday afternoon, besting Liberal Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry. MLAs from all parties voted in the election.
LaVie’s move into the Speaker’s chair means that Dennis King’s Progressive Conservative caucus will have one fewer vote on day-to-day matters, unless there is a tie. If a tie occurs, LaVie will be able to cast a deciding vote. In these cases, under parliamentary convention, Speakers often cast votes in line with their governing party.
Without LaVie, the PCs will have a total of 11 votes in the legislature, to the Greens’ eight and the Liberals’ six.
Shortly after the results of the election were announced, Perry was named deputy Speaker. He had served as chairman of several standing committees in the previous legislature.
LaVie said he decided to run for the position as a result of his admiration for past Speakers, including Buck Watts, who served as Speaker under the previous MacLauchlan government.
“It's something I always had in the back of my head that I wanted to do. The opportunity arose, and so I went for it," LaVie said.
LaVie acknowledged there may be times, as a neutral party, in which he will have to discipline members of both Opposition parties and his own party. Heckling is a common part of daily question periods, although the opposition Greens have suggested they will not take part in heckling.
"If I have to discipline anybody, I'll look at the situation. If they have to be disciplined, so be it. That's the job I took on," LaVie said.
Like several other members of his party, LaVie frequently took part in heckling members of government while in Opposition. But LaVie said he believes most members have “quieted down” in recent years.
“We're into a minority government and we've got some new MLAs. The honourable Speaker Buck Watts, he did a good job of quieting the house down in his term as speaker. I think that will continue on from when the last Speaker sat in the seat," he said.
Perry said it was a rarity, as a member of an Opposition party, to be named deputy Speaker. The post is usually reserved for a member of the governing party.
During debate of upcoming budgets, Perry will chair the committee of supply and will chair the House or committee of the whole if requested by the Speaker. His work will also focus significantly on standing committees, which could assume greater importance in a minority government situation.
The PC platform pledged to allow Opposition parties to have a majority of members on standing committees.
"That's what's suggested, yes. And until that's in place, I think it would be great for all who are involved that there is equality on the standing committees. But we'll see how this plays out," Perry said.
Perry said he looked forward to working with LaVie.
"Colin was selected by the majority, and I have all the confidence in him and his abilities to perform the duties required as Speaker," Perry said.
