Dean of the House (Canada)

In Canada, the dean of the House (French: doyen de la Chambre) is the sitting Member of the House of Commons with the longest unbroken record of service. The dean is responsible for presiding over the election of the Speaker of the House of Commons at the beginning of each Parliament. The position is the equivalent of the Father of the House in the British House of Commons.

Following a General election, or, the resignation or death of the sitting Speaker, the house meets to elect a new Speaker.[1] This was started in 1986, however at the time, Speaker John Bosley presided. The first time the modern election system for speaker was used was in 1994.

During these elections, the Dean of the House takes the role of presiding officer. If the longest serving member is a Cabinet Minister, party Leader, House Leader or Whip, they are not able to act as presiding officer.[2] In 1994, following the 1993 election, Len Hopkins filled this role as Herb Gray, the longest serving member, was in Cabinet.[3] Although Gray was in cabinet, he was still referred to as Dean both in Hansard[4] and by the press.[5] Gray was also the longest-serving dean of the House up until that point, holding the role for 14 years from 1988-2002.

The current dean of the House is Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon, who was first elected to the Commons as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1984.[6] In 2023, Plamondon eclipsed Gray as the longest-serving dean of the House, with 15 years in the role. The second-longest serving MP is currently Lawrence MacAulay, first elected in 1988. However, as a Cabinet Minister, MacAulay would not be able to service as Dean should Plamondon vacate his seat. Instead, MP Hedy Fry, first elected in 1993, would act in his place. Upon the resignation of Speaker Anthony Rota in 2023, Plamondon will serve for the sixth time as presiding officer in the election of the Speaker.[7]

The chart below refers to longest-serving members, some of whom served in front-bench roles and, as such, did not preside over the election of the Speaker.

List of longest-serving members
Member Party Entered House Became longest serving member Left House Years as a Member Years as Dean
John Costigan Liberal-Conservative (until 1906) 1867 June 23, 1896 March 5, 1907 40 11
Liberal (after 1906)
John Graham Haggart Conservative 1872 March 5, 1907 March 13, 1913 41 6
Wilfrid Laurier[note 1] Liberal 1874 March 13, 1913 February 17, 1919 45 6
John Reid Conservative 1891 February 17, 1919 December 6, 1921 30 2
William MacLean Unionist 1892 December 6, 1921 September 14, 1926 34 5
Rodolphe Lemieux Liberal 1896 September 14, 1926 July 28, 1930 34 4
Charles Marcil Liberal 1900 July 28, 1930 March 22, 1937 37 7
Ernest Lapointe Liberal 1904 March 22, 1937 November 26, 1941 37 4
Arthur Cardin Liberal (until 1942) 1911 November 26, 1941 October 21, 1946 35 5
Independent (after 1942)
Charles Gavan Power Liberal 1917 October 21, 1946 July 28, 1955 38 9
William Earl Rowe Progressive Conservative 1925 July 28, 1955 April 8, 1963 38 8
Azellus Denis Liberal 1935 April 8, 1963 February 3, 1964 29 1
Paul Martin Sr. Liberal 1935 February 3, 1964 June 25, 1968 33 4
John Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative 1940 June 25, 1968 May 22, 1979 39 11
Walter Dinsdale Progressive Conservative 1951 May 22, 1979 November 20, 1982 31 3
Robert Coates Progressive Conservative 1957 November 20, 1982 November 21, 1988 31 6
Herb Gray[note 2] Liberal 1962 November 21, 1988 January 14, 2002 40 14
Charles Caccia Liberal 1968 January 14, 2002 June 28, 2004 36 2
Bill Blaikie New Democrat 1979 June 28, 2004 October 14, 2008 29 4
Louis Plamondon[note 3] Progressive Conservative (until 1990) 1984 October 14, 2008 incumbent 39 15 (as of 2023)
Bloc Québécois (1990–2018)
Québec Debout (2018)
Bloc Québécois (2018–present)

Notes
  1. Served as party leader during his tenure as longest-serving member
  2. Served as a cabinet minister during his tenure as longest-serving member
  3. Served as party leader and interim party leader during his tenure as longest-serving member

References
  1. Election of the Speaker of the House. House of Commons. Canada. March 2006. Last accessed May 17, 2015.
  2. Election of the Speaker of the House. House of Commons. Canada. March 2006. Last accessed July 1, 2009.
  3. "Hansard", or Publications of the House of Commons, January 17, 1994, Debates (No. 1). Last accessed May 17, 2015.
  4. "Hansard #135 37-1". January 20, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  5. "Longtime former MP Herb Gray dies at 82". Windsor Star. April 21, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  6. Campion-Smith, Bruce (May 16, 2007). "Veteran MP set to retire". The Toronto Star.
  7. Tasker, John Paul (September 26, 2023). "Anthony Rota resigns as Speaker after honouring Ukrainian veteran who fought with Nazi unit". CBC News.
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