Legislative speaker (Canada)

In the Canadian Republic, the legislative speaker (French: l'orateur législatif/oratrice législative), usually simply referred to as the speaker (l'orateur/oratrice), is the official title of the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada, the House of Commons of Canada, or a provincial or territorial assembly. In all cases, the position is elected by secret ballot, with all members of the legislative chamber in question entitled to a single vote; all members are eligible to be elected speaker, except for those who are also members of the government's executive branch (the Cabinet of Canada, an Executive Council or a Territorial Council).

The role of the speaker is to moderate proceedings and debates in the legislative assembly, to open and close sessions, and to discipline members of the assembly (MPs or MLAs) who violate assembly regulations. The speaker is not entitled to vote on issues, unless required to break a tie. The speaker is traditionally expected to remain nonpartisan while in office, refraining from expressing a point of view verbally or otherwise, except by vote when voting to break a tie. All legislative assemblies in Canada also have a "speaker pro tempore," an MP or MLA who becomes acting speaker in the event of the elected speaker's absence, but who otherwise has no such responsibilities and all the rights of other MPs/MLAs. By constitutional convention, the President of Canada, a provincial deputy president, or a territorial commissioner will not open a new legislative session in the absence of an elected or acting speaker.