Montreal MP Anthony Housefather becomes parliamentary secretary again

Liberal MP for Mount Royal Anthony Housefather waits for a session of the Standing Committee on Official Languages to begin, Friday, February 17, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather was reinstated as parliamentary secretary on Tuesday, four months after being stripped of the position by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

At the time, Trudeau's office did not reveal why Housefather had been demoted to backbench MP, but the fact that he was the only elected member of any party to vote against the government bill modernizing the Official Languages Act did not go unnoticed.

The MP, who represents an English-speaking constituency on the island of Montreal, had previously fought hard at the Standing Committee on Official Languages and in every forum open to him to weaken the proposed reform.

He objected to Quebec's Charter of the French Language being mentioned in the federal law.

Several other Liberal MPs had expressed reservations about the bill, including ministers Marc Miller and David Lametti, but they all fell into line or abstained from voting.

Questioned on his arrival at Question Period, Housefather said he did not know what had motivated the decisions to take away his role as parliamentary secretary and then give it back to him.

"I wasn't the one who decided to step down or turn over," he said. "Those are questions for someone else."

Housefather pointed to the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.

With Tuesday's announcement, Housefather becomes parliamentary secretary to Treasury Board President Anita Anand.

His appointment was announced jointly with those of the MPs for Sherbrooke, Élisabeth Brière, and Ottawa Centre, Yasir Naqvi, who will also take on the duties of parliamentary secretary, and the MP for Ottawa --Vanier and former minister, Mona Fortier, who becomes deputy government whip.

"I know that this team is ready to work hard for Canadians and to act on their priorities," wrote the prime minister in a press release.

Parliamentary secretaries are MPs who are members of the party that forms the government. Their job is to assist a minister, particularly in the House of Commons. They are not part of the cabinet and have no official role in the decision-making process.

Secretaries receive a bonus of $18,800 a year in addition to their MP salary of $194,600.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 30, 2024.