List of current legislative speakers of Canada

In Canadian politics, a speaker (French: président) is a member of a legislative body who presides over their respective assembly. In most cases the position is based on the United Kingdom's Speaker of the House of Commons, whose job in the Westminster parliamentary system is to ensure parliamentary procedure is conducted properly, and in an orderly fashion.[1] This includes choosing which members are permitted to speak and when, as weel as disciplining members who breach parliamentary rules, such as members not respecting decorum.[2]

Unlike the British system, speakers in Canada are not made to resign from their respective political parties upon assuming the office of speaker, although they are still expected to perform the duties of their role impartially. This has led speakers to occasionally be referred to as parliamentary referees.[3] In the House of Commons and the legislative assemblies of the provinces and territories, the speaker does not vote on motions or legislation except in the case of a tie, in which case they are bound by the constitutional convention of Speaker Denison's rule to vote in favour of maintaining the status quo. The speaker of the Senate however is not bound by such rules, and is entitled to vote on all motions and legislation. The speaker of the Senate's appointment is also unique, as they are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, rather than being elected internally by the incumbent members of the assembly.[4]

At the municipal level, almost all municipal councils have the municipality's mayor serve as the presiding officer of a municipal council. The one exception to this rule is in the city of Toronto, where Toronto City Council elects a separate speaker to preside over council meetings instead of the mayor.

List of current speakers

Current speakers of Canadian legislative bodies
Portrait Speaker House/Assembly Order Party Incumbency First mandate began Terms
Francis Scarpaleggia[5] House of Commons of Canada 40th Liberal 271 days May 26, 2025 45th Parliament
Raymonde Gagné Senate of Canada 46th Independent 2 years, 285 days May 12, 2023 44th Parliament
45th Parliament
Ric McIver[6] Legislative Assembly of Alberta 15th United Conservative 284 days May 13, 2025 31st Legislature
Raj Chouhan[7] Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 40th New Democratic 5 years, 76 days December 7, 2020 42nd Parliament
43rd Parliament
No image
 Tom Lindsey[8] Legislative Assembly of Manitoba 31st New Democratic 2 years, 104 days November 9, 2023 43rd Legislature
Francine Landry Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick 61st Liberal 1 year, 94 days November 19, 2024 61st Legislature
No image
 Paul Lane Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly 45th Independent 110 days November 3, 2025 51st General Assembly
No image
 Danielle Barkhouse Nova Scotia House of Assembly 55th Progressive Conservative 1 year, 169 days September 5, 2024 64th General Assembly
65th General Assembly
Donna Skelly Legislative Assembly of Ontario 43rd Progressive Conservative 313 days April 14, 2025 44th Parliament
No image
 Sidney MacEwen Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 34th Progressive Conservative 333 days March 25, 2025 67th General Assembly
No image
 Nathalie Roy National Assembly of Quebec 47th Coalition Avenir Québec 3 years, 84 days November 29, 2022 43rd Legislature
No image
 Todd Goudy Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 29th Saskatchewan Party 1 year, 88 days November 25, 2024 30th Legislature
No image
 Shane Thompson Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories 16th N/A
(consensus government) 		2 years, 76 days December 7, 2023 20th Legislative Assembly
No image
 David Joanasie Legislative Assembly of Nunavut 13th N/A
(consensus government) 		95 days November 18, 2025 7th Legislature
No image
 Yvonne Clarke Yukon Legislative Assembly 31st Yukon Party 75 days December 8, 2025 36th Legislature
Frances Nunziata[9] Toronto City Council 2nd Independent[a] 15 years, 82 days December 1, 2010 2010–2014 term
2014–2018 term
2018–2022 term
2022–2026 term
  1. ^ Municipal political parties are not recognized by Elections Ontario or the City of Toronto.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Speaker". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  2. ^ "Role of the Speaker". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  3. ^ Paas-Lang, Christian (November 5, 2023). "Parliament's new referee says he hopes MPs will lead the way on restoring decorum". CBC News. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "Senate Procedural Note No. 9 - The Speaker of the Senate". Senate of Canada. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  5. ^ "Speakers of the House of Commons". Library of Parliament. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  6. ^ "Honourable Ric McIver, ECA". Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  7. ^ "Speaker of the Legislative Assembly". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  8. ^ "Speaker's Biography". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "Councillor Frances Nunziata". Toronto City Council. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
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