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
Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously- ...
in the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
.
Following a General election, or, the resignation or death of the sitting Speaker, the house meets to elect a new Speaker. 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
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, â ...
, party Leader,
House Leader or
Whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
, they are not able to act as presiding officer. In 1994, following the 1993 election,
Len Hopkins
Leonard Donald "Len" Hopkins (June 12, 1930 – February 6, 2007) was a Canadian politician and member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Biography
Born in Argyle, Ontario, Hopkins was educated at the Ryerson Institute of Technology, the North ...
filled this role as
Herb Gray, the longest serving member, was in Cabinet. Although Gray was in cabinet, he was still referred to as Dean both in Hansard and by the press. Gray was also the longest-serving dean of the House, holding the role for 14 years from 1988-2002.
The current dean of the House is
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , "Québécois people, Quebecer Voting bloc, Bloc") is a list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty movement, Que ...
MP Louis Plamondon, who was first elected to the Commons as a member of the
Progressive Conservative Party in 1984.
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.
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
Notes
References
{{CA-Dean of the House
Political terminology in Canada
Senior legislators