Monday, February 8, 2021

The Committee of Selection has the honour to present its

FOURTH REPORT

On November 19, 2020, the Senate referred Motion No. 19, under Other Business, to your committee for examination and report. The motion concerns the election of the Speaker pro tempore by secret ballot. On December 9, 2020, your committee presented an interim report concerning the designation of a Speaker pro temporeon an interim basis until the Senate decides otherwise. The report was adopted by the Senate on December 10, 2020.

Your committee has completed its examination of Motion No. 19, and in its final report, now recommends that for the remainder of this parliamentary session, the position of Speaker pro tempore be filled by means of a secret ballot, using a process to be established by the Speaker after consulting with the Leader of the Government, the Leader of the Opposition, and the leader or facilitator of any other recognized party or recognized parliamentary group.

For greater certainty, your committee notes that, once the secret ballot has occurred, the senator chosen through that process would replace the Speaker pro tempore designated on an interim basis pursuant to the earlier report, unless that senator is chosen in the secret ballot.

Respectfully submitted,