Charlottetown MP Sean Casey running for job of Commons Speaker

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey says he is interested in taking over the job of Speaker for the House of Commons following the resignation of Anthony Rota earlier this week.

Casey made the announcement onthe Charlottetown-basedRadio-Canada showLe RveilThursday morning.

"Anyone who commits themselves to public life wants to make a difference, and this is one of these things where the stars have kind of aligned," he told CBC's Sheehan Desjardins later in the day.

"I can't tell you that 12 years ago, when I put my name on the ballot, that I aspired to be the Speaker. I did aspire to make a difference... Ifeel I have something to offer and this is the time."

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The Speaker presides over debate in the House, controlling whose turn it is to talk, enforcing the rules, and making decisions on the interpretation of those rules.

Unlike other positions in Parliament, the Speaker is considered to be non-partisan, and not part of government or opposition.

MP Sean Casey vying to become next Speaker of House of Commons

1 year ago

Duration 0:51

'I am going to talk to as many people as I can over the next three or four days,' Liberal MP Sean Casey said after putting his name forward to become the next Parliamentary Speaker.

'It would be historic'

Casey said he hopes to make Prince Edward Islanders proud should his bid be successful.

"It would be historic. There's never been a Speaker of the House of Commons fromPrince Edward Island," he said.

"I expect it would be a source of pride. We always tend to cheer people that have some success on the national or international stage, so for me it would be a profound personal honour. But the people of Charlottetown have been extremely good to me and they've supported me and so it would be a tip of the hat to them."

Casey has represented the Charlottetown riding since 2011.

Rota resigned over his office's invitation to Ukrainian veteran Yaroslav Hunka to sit in the parliamentary gallery during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to Parliament on Friday. Over the weekend, it came out that Hunkahad fought for a voluntary unit under the command of the Nazis during the Second World War.

The election for a new Speaker is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3.