Our House, Their Circus: Why Canada’s Speaker Election Gets It Right (and Why I’m Staying Canadian)

It’s moments like these that really crystallize why we Canadians operate on a slightly different wavelength than our neighbours south of the border. The recent, dignified election of Francis Scarpaleggia as Speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, especially when contrasted with the… shall we say, memorable… process that gave the U.S. House Mike Johnson in 2023, is a case study in why I’ll happily keep my maple leaf, like most Canadians will.

Watching the US wrestle a Speaker into place felt like tuning into a particularly chaotic reality TV show (isn’t it very much like everything there, especially under Trump?). This wasn’t just a quick vote; it was weeks of public infighting, multiple failed nominees, and backroom deals playing out under a media microscope – a genuine political drama that effectively paralyzed Congress for extended periods, blocking its ability to function. Real-TV at its best, or worst, depending on your stomach for it. Mike Johnson eventually emerged, not so much chosen as the last man standing after a partisan free-for-all. The vote was strictly along party lines, a reflection of the hyper-partisan arena the US Speaker is expected to dominate, second in line to the presidency and a key driver of the GOP’s agenda.

Then there’s Canada. Francis Scarpaleggia’s election? Orderly, quick, and typically wrapped up in a single ballot. So swift and low-drama, in fact, that many Canadians likely learned about it after the fact, a stark contrast to the weeks-long American saga that consumes international headlines. Here, it’s decided by a secret ballot, which is key. This allows MPs to vote, at least in theory, beyond pure party loyalty, fostering a sense of cross-aisle legitimacy. The speeches beforehand emphasized neutrality, not partisan warfare. While politics is always present, the tone was one of parliamentary tradition, not a political knife fight in the elevator. Our Speaker isn’t aiming to be a prime minister-in-waiting; he is the chief referee, expected to ensure fairness and decorum. (You’ll see what I mean when you compare the pomp of Johnson’s inauguration with the wonderfully Canadian “dragging” of Scarpaleggia to the chair!)

The cultural theatre around it is also telling. In the US, Johnson’s inauguration was another act in an ongoing political drama serial, his hardline views immediately becoming the story. The public, already polarized, largely sees the Speaker as another general in the partisan army. In Canada? Scarpaleggia, a long-time, respected MP known for moderation, was “dragged” to the chair – that delightful bit of parliamentary humility symbolizing a reluctance to take on such a burdensome, impartial role. The media coverage was more procedural update than political battlefield report.

It comes down to this: their system often elevates a figure like Johnson, relatively unknown before his ascent but ticking the right ideological boxes for a faction, and into a position of immense partisan power. He was perceived, rightly or wrongly, as a culture warrior first. Although– of course! – he let the world know upfront how deeply religious he is, although what the hell does that have to do with the Speaker Chair?

And our Canadian system, particularly with a minority government, tends to seek a stabilizing figure like Scarpaleggia, someone seen as competent and fair, capable of navigating choppy waters.

So, while the US Speaker election often looks like a political crisis waiting to happen (or happening), ours is generally an institutional rite of passage. One is marked by chaos and ideological combat; the other by procedure and a pursuit of civility. These aren’t just quirks; they reflect fundamentally different democratic architectures and, frankly, different national temperaments.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I’m quite content to be Canadian, observing the political circuses elsewhere from a safe and pleasantly more stable distance. We’ll stick to our orderly House, thanks. No 51st state ambitions here.