Greg Fergus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greg Fergus
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Fergus in 2024
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39th Speaker of the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office October 3, 2023 |
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Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Governor General | Mary Simon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Anthony Rota | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of Parliament for Hull—Aylmer |
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Assumed office October 19, 2015 |
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Preceded by | Nycole Turmel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Gregory Cristophe Fergus
May 31, 1969 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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Political party | Liberal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Julie Cool | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residences | Aylmer, Quebec, Canada The Farm |
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Education | Selwyn House School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Marianopolis College (DEC) University of Ottawa (BSocSc) Carleton University (BA) |
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Gregory Cristophe Fergus PC MP (born May 31, 1969) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 38th and current speaker of the House of Commons since October 3, 2023. He is the member of Parliament (MP) for Hull—Aylmer.
A member of the Liberal Party, Fergus was first elected in the 2015 federal election and has held a number of portfolios as a parliamentary secretary. Before his election to Parliament, Fergus worked as a political staffer.
Early life and education
Fergus' grandfather immigrated to Canada from the British colony of Montserrat.
Greg Fergus studied at public English elementary schools, Westpark and Sunnydale, and later attended Lindsay Place High School. After a teachers’ strike affected his schooling, his parents decided to send him to Selwyn House School, a private boys’ school, followed by Marianopolis College, and he later earned two bachelor's degrees, one from the University of Ottawa and the other in international relations from Carleton University. At Selwyn House, which he attended from Grade 9 to 11, he was classmates with entrepreneurs Vincenzo Guzzo, Mark Pathy and Michael Penner, who later served as chairman of Hydro-Québec.
Fergus was president of the Young Liberals of Canada from 1994 to 1996, where he attracted attention for supporting the passage of a motion calling on the Liberal Party to support same-sex marriage. After attending university and earning bachelor's degrees in social science and international relations, he worked for Liberal cabinet ministers Pierre Pettigrew and Jim Peterson. In 2007, Stéphane Dion named him the national director of the Liberal Party.
Political career
In the 2015 federal election, Fergus was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Hull—Aylmer, a traditionally Liberal riding that had fallen to the New Democratic Party in the previous election. The contest was attended by some controversy, as NDP incumbent Nycole Turmel accused Fergus' campaign of spreading rumours that she was terminally ill, which Fergus denied. Fergus won the election by over 11,000 votes in a race that was expected to be close by the New Democratic Party and Liberals.
From March 19, 2021 to September 17, 2023 Fergus Served as Parliamentary Secretary to Justin Trudeau.
On October 3, 2023, Fergus was elected as the 38th speaker of the House of Commons, becoming the first black house speaker.
Electoral record
Canadian federal election, 2021: Hull—Aylmer | ||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Greg Fergus | 26,892 | 52.5 | −1.6 | $63,261.55 | |||
Bloc Québécois | Simon Provost | 8,323 | 16.2 | +1.6 | $12,271.08 | |||
New Democratic | Samuel Gendron | 6,483 | 12.7 | −0.9 | $1,357.33 | |||
Conservative | Sandrine Perion | 5,507 | 10.7 | +1.6 | $12,393.59 | |||
PPC | Eric Fleury | 1,864 | 3.6 | +2.4 | $2,637.53 | |||
Green | Simon Gnocchini-Messier | 1,459 | 2.8 | −4.2 | $9,342.81 | |||
FPC | Josée Lafleur | 375 | 0.7 | N/A | $4,513.90 | |||
Rhinoceros | Mike LeBlanc | 203 | 0.4 | ±0.0 | $0.00 | |||
Independent | Catherine Dickins | 143 | 0.3 | N/A | $0.00 | |||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,249 | 98.7 | – | $109,916.55 | ||||
Total rejected ballots | 666 | 1.3 | ||||||
Turnout | 51,915 | 66.5 | ||||||
Registered voters | 78,032 | |||||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −1.6 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada |
Canadian federal election, 2019: Hull—Aylmer | ||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Greg Fergus | 29,732 | 54.1 | +2.73 | none listed | |||
Bloc Québécois | Joanie Riopel | 8,011 | 14.6 | +8.06 | $2,949.94 | |||
New Democratic | Nicolas Thibodeau | 7,467 | 13.6 | −17.92 | $26,504.52 | |||
Conservative | Mike Duggan | 4,979 | 9.1 | +1.38 | $18,923.80 | |||
Green | Josée Poirier Defoy | 3,869 | 7.0 | +5.13 | $9,958.48 | |||
PPC | Rowen Tanguay | 638 | 1.2 | $638.31 | ||||
Rhinoceros | Sébastien Grenier | 195 | 0.4 | $0.00 | ||||
Marxist–Leninist | Alexandre Deschênes | 102 | 0.2 | +0.02 | $0.00 | |||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 54,993 | 100.0 | ||||||
Total rejected ballots | 692 | |||||||
Turnout | 55,685 | 70.4 | ||||||
Eligible voters | 79,072 | |||||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −2.67 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada |
Canadian federal election, 2015: Hull—Aylmer | ||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Greg Fergus | 28,478 | 51.37 | +30.88 | $77,403.19 | |||
New Democratic | Nycole Turmel | 17,472 | 31.52 | −27.26 | $73,823.88 | |||
Conservative | Étienne Boulrice | 4,278 | 7.72 | −2.33 | $3,208.51 | |||
Bloc Québécois | Maude Chouinard-Boucher | 3,625 | 6.54 | −2.14 | $5,830.63 | |||
Green | Roger Fleury | 1,035 | 1.87 | −0.14 | $6,523.33 | |||
Christian Heritage | Sean J. Mulligan | 291 | 0.52 | – | $5,299.81 | |||
Independent | Luc Desjardins | 160 | 0.3 | – | – | |||
Marxist–Leninist | Gabriel Girard | 101 | 0.18 | – | – | |||
Total valid votes/Expense limit | 55,440 | 100.0 | $213,352.22 | |||||
Total rejected ballots | 391 | – | – | |||||
Turnout | 55,831 | 70.8% | – | |||||
Eligible voters | 78,773 | |||||||
Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | 28.92% | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada |