Liberal MP Greg Fergus recently made history by becoming the first black speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, after Anthony Rota’s resignation for honouring a man that fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War.
Fergus, a representative for the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer near Ottawa, was chosen by members of the 338-seat House.
Fergus, 54, was born in Montreal, where his grandfather settled from Montserrat prior to the Second World War. His father was a high school teacher who enrolled him in a private boys’ school in Westmount after teachers’ strike in the 1980s. He grew up in the Montreal suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux as the youngest of three children.
Before delving into politics, Fergus worked as a policy adviser in many ministerial offices. Also, he served as national director of the Liberal Party of Canada, a position he assumed in 2007.
For over three decades, he worked in many positions in the private and public sectors, which included serving on a board of directors for Aylmer Arms, the residence of retired and semi-retired seniors.
Fergus possesses two bachelor’s degrees, a degree in social science from the University of Ottawa and another degree in international relations from Carleton University. Also, he enrolled for graduate studies in international relations.
He was first elected in 2015 in the Quebec riding of Hull—Aylmer. He won the seat from New Democratic control by defeating incumbent Nycole Turmel, and has won all elections in the riding with more than 50 percent of the vote.
He has held parliamentary assistant positions in some ministries, working with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Minister of Digital Government, and the President of Treasury Board. He was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Health Mark Holland in 2021.
Also, he played a major role in creating Parliamentary Black Caucus, whose members forced Trudeau to condemn anti-Black racism in 2018.
During his first election in 2015, he was heavily scrutinized after Turmel’s camp stated that he allegedly spread rumours to electors that Turmel was terminally ill. Fergus and the Liberals debunked the allegations.
In early 2023, the federal ethics commissioner discovered Fergus had infringed the Conflict of Interest Act by writing a letter to support a television channel’s application for compulsory carriage.
The letter was submitted to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 2022 to encourage the required distribution of Natyf TV as part of digital basic services.
Ethics commissioner Mario Dion opened an investigation in last October after the news agency asked his office about the letter.
In a report released in February, Dion revealed that Fergus sought to further Natyf’s private interests improperly because he got involved in the decision-making process of the broadcast regulator.
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