The elbows are for others, not for us.

Canadians want to see sticks on the ice, and it is the responsibility of the Speaker to make this so. I am an optimist; I believe it possible to skilfully and convincingly dissect and refute an argument without recourse to personal invective or intimidation. I have seen all colleagues from all parties achieve this standard.

More than 20 years of parliamentary experience has prepared me for the challenge of finding the right balance between respect and order on the one hand and vigorous debate that clarifies the issues on the other.

I have been around the block. Over the past 20 years, I have sat on both sides of the House. I sat on the opposition benches for 10 years, including when my party's future seemed rather uncertain. I have also sat for a total of 10 years on the government benches. I know both sides of the coin and am sensitive to the needs of colleagues on both sides of the House.

It is important to remember that the Speaker is also an administrator, overseeing the operations and services of the parliamentary precinct. My 20 years have given me a thorough understanding of the workings of the administrative apparatus on Parliament Hill and its regulatory framework.

We have a duty to Canadians and to ourselves, a duty to cultivate our parliamentary democracy in an increasingly turbulent world where many argue that democracy is just too inefficient and time-consuming.

Canada has always been about values. It was the will to affirm a distinct set of values on the upper half of the North American continent that led to the creation, against all odds, of this confederation of founding peoples and nations, and diverse and proud regions. While our neighbour to the south may be modern-day Rome in size and power, we are Athens in culture, values and democracy. That is how we must see ourselves. That is who we must be.

Francis Scarpaleggia

$519,285.00