The first order of business on this issue is an amendment asking that the issue take precedence over all other matters in committee. The amendment also asks that a reply be given by Dec.14th. A recorded vote ensued resulting in the Conservatives, BQ, NDP and several Liberals voting yea. I did not notice a vote from Justin Trudeau. The amendment passes with a vote of 310-0.
Now that the amendment passed with such a great majority, I seriously doubt that Speaker Fergus will survive this review in Committee. Surely we will see an election for speaker in the very near future. This would be a record for shortest term as speaker.
Speaker Fergus has been accused of partisanship almost since his first day in the chair and his downfall has been referred to as self inflicted. At the heart of this particular situation is the fact that Speaker Fergus appeared in robes (sometimes called the cloak of impartiality) and from his office. To further the issue, Fergus also appeared in Washington DC meeting with former Democratic Speaker Pelosi and discussed his time with the Liberal youth wing.