House speaker to House leader

Outgoing House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer is getting ready to hang up his robes, take off his tricorne hat and trade what some might argue is the best seat in the House for a spot on the opposition front benches.

On Wednesday morning, Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose revealed that the 36-year-old Saskatchewan MP will follow up his four-year term as the youngest House speaker in Canadian parliamentary history by taking up the post of House Leader for the Official Opposition.

It’s hard to imagine a parliamentary assignment more at odds with his previous incarnation as impartial arbiter of House rules.

As speaker, he was obliged to eschew any hint of partisan bias when policing the Chamber, which involved everything from shutting down overzealous hecklers to ruling on points of order and questions of privilege.

But as House leader, he’ll be the one lodging complaints when the government attempts to shut down debate through time allocation, and calling on the new speaker to force reticent ministers to provide satisfactory answers.

He’ll also meet regularly with his Liberal and New Democrat counterparts to discuss the government’s legislative agenda — and, when necessary, advise his party on the most effective way to use existing procedural measures to oppose it.

Ambrose also announced that veteran Quebec MP and former infrastructure minister Denis Lebel will act as deputy leader, a position that didn’t exist under her predecessor, Stephen Harper.

“Denis and Andrew have the experience needed to create and help lead a new Official Opposition,” Ambrose noted in a written statement.