Georgia Straight
for April 1994, Article 2

I don't suppose that the question of the Speaker of the Legislature occupies much talk time in pubs and coffee shops. It should. Because the institution is the cornerstone of Parliamentary democracy, something the NDP have shown an alarming ability to overlook twice in the past 20 years.

In early times, it was the Speaker's duty to relay to the King what sort of revenue the Commons had voted his royal treasury. If the news was bad, the Speaker could lose his head, which is why to this day, upon being elected, he or she puts up a sham struggle when being guided to the chair.

The Speaker is the servant of the House, not the government, an distinction essential to our notion that governments exist on the will of the House.

Pretty esoteric stuff, huh? But it's important. The thread of democracy is a very slender one and the independence of the Speaker from the government is an important strand of that thread. Even though the Speaker is invariably a government member, he or she immediately leaves that caucus and enters the lonely life of the Speaker's Office. The Speaker will not even be seen lunching with government MLAs unless others are there too - there must always be the appearance of absolute independence.

When Socreds won the election of 1975, the NDP were sure that they had stolen the election rather than fairly won it. They were bitter. Very bitter.

The game was afoot when the Legislature opened on March 17, 1976. Premier Bill Bennett had earlier announced that the government would put up Ed Smith from North Peace River as Speaker. In fact, as Speaker Designate, Smith had moved into the Speaker's office some weeks before and had taken over its many administrative functions which include the actual running of the Legislative Buildings themselves. This was taken by the NDP to be crass Socred presumptiveness and they immediately found fault with decisions he made about their offices and their furniture.

When a new Parliament opens, the MLAs elect their Speaker, whereupon the Lieutenant-Governor enters and gives the Speech from the Throne. On this St Patrick's Day, 1976, even thought the long custom was to elect the Speaker unanimously, the NDP decided to oppose the election of Smith by putting forth Alex Macdonald. They then filibustered the proceedings, delaying His Honour by over an hour.

This was the omen - Ed Smith's days were numbered. The NDP plan from the outset was to hound him from office and though it took a couple of years, they did it. The moment of truth came in one evening session when, in a foolish and I believe deliberately misunderstood move by the Speaker, all hell broke loose with members of the NDP actually throwing their rule books at the beleagured Smith.

Some personal matters intruded in the months thereafter and Smith resigned. The problem was never Ed Smith the person nor even Ed Smith, the Speaker - the NDP sought revenge against a government they hated, even on a personal basis, and Smith was the easiest target. It was disgraceful.

Happily, Smith's successor, Harvey Schroeder, a born Speaker if ever there was one, handled the job brilliantly and the Speaker's office was restored to it's proper lustre.

Joan Sawicki, ironically, was hounded from office by her own party. We know the story - Mike Harcourt, in a shabby sham, punctuated by dissembling and lying by him and his party, forced Joan Sawicki from office under the guise of making the office more democratic. The irony was compounded by the fact that the Opposition would fight for an NDP appointed Speaker though they would rightly point out that the battle was not for Ms Sawicki, but for the principle that the Speaker is the servant of the whole House, and ought only to be removed by a motion of that House.

At the end of the day, Mike Harcourt's dirty business resulted in Sawicki out, Emery Barnes in.

Perhaps there is a silver lining to this very dark cloud. The American born Barnes has more feel for decency, decorum and parliamentary traditions in his little finger than does the entire caucus whence he sprang - though that, I admit, is damning with very faint praise indeed. A good man in the right spot may even undo the harm done by political poltroonery at the highest level and Emery Barnes is a very good man who has too long been denied high office by the NDP who have never seen him as other have.

Those who love Parliament and its priceless traditions, and know the new Speaker, think he may just be the man to restore the Speaker's office to it's proper dignity.