Speaker's apartment, Ottawa
Canada's Parliament provides an apartment, in Centre Block, for the Speaker of the House.[1] Its room number is 202N.[2]
Role of the Speaker
House of Commons members elect a Speaker, from among their own ranks. The Speaker, and his or her deputies, who are also MPs, not only preside over the commons, when it is in session, they are responsible for managing House of Commons campus, and its staff.
Purpose
During a tour on December 16, 2018, shortly before Centre Block was closed for renovations, Speaker Geoff Regan described how he did not always have exclusive use of the quarters.[3] He said it could be made available to VIPs, their staff, or family, when they addressed Parliament. When United States President Barack Obama addressed Parliament the apartment was turned over to the Presidential Secret Service Unit. Traditionally, Finance Ministers are allowed the use of the Speaker's apartment, on budget day.
Design
The United Kingdom's Parliament's Speaker is provided with a spacious, luxurious apartment. The apartment provided in Canada, however, are small and spartan.[1]
According to an account by Althia Raj, who had a rare tour of the apartment in 2015, the apartment is only 400 square feet (37 m2).[1] There is no kitchen, but there is a small fridge in the apartment's sitting room. There is also a small bedroom, a small bathroom, and a "dressing room".
History
Peter Milliken, who was Speaker from 2006 to 2011, was a bachelor, and did make regular use of the apartment, when he wasn't staying at the Speaker's other official residence, [4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Althia Raj (2015-11-27). "Andrew Scheer, Outgoing House Speaker, Reflects On Pressures, Perks Of Coveted Job". Huffington Post. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/27/andrew-scheer-speaker-house-commons_n_8665202.html. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
- ↑ "Speaker Geoff Regan opens door to secret apartment in Parliament". Toronto Sun. 2018-12-16. https://torontosun.com/news/national/speaker-geoff-regan-opens-door-to-secret-apartment-in-parliament/wcm/421da828-ee47-4228-9266-cdd1384f09ee. Retrieved 2018-12-16. "One of the best-kept secrets inside the main building on Parliament Hill — known as Centre Block — is what’s inside room 202N."
- ↑ Melanie Marquis, Ben Singer (2018-12-16). "Take a look at the Speakers secret Parliament apartment...". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=67&v=Y_3Z0U6XdBo. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
- ↑ "Farewell to Peter Milliken". Ottawa magazine. 2011-03-25. https://ottawamagazine.com/people-and-places/society/farewell-peter-milliken/. Retrieved 2018-12-16. "There are benefits for the 61-year-old bachelor to being Speaker: he has a small apartment just down the hall from his spacious offices and a grand official residence in Gatineau Park (the Farm), across the Ottawa River in Quebec."
