The most interesting place to be this week may be behind the heavy wooden door and in the red-carpeted office of the clerk of the chamber of the British Columbia legislature.

After weeks of recounts, the success of David Eby’s NDP government now depends, in part, on a secret ballot, scheduled for mid-November, to select the speaker of the house.

The name of each MLA is on a list in the clerk’s office. Any member who does not wish to be considered (there are good reasons for not wanting the position) must submit written notice to the secretary requesting his or her removal no later than 6 pm on the day before the vote.

It’s safe to assume that Eby has been trying to lure someone outside his party to become president. Although he will tell his party members who to vote for, Eby does not have the privilege of naming the Speaker.

While some MLAs, such as Conservative Ian Paton, have publicly stated that they are not interested, only the secretary knows who is (and who is not) on the list.

On voting day, the clerk posts the names of the candidates in the lobby and the ballots are placed in a ballot box on the clerk’s desk in the house.

It is not as dramatic as a papal election (white smoke does not rise when the ballots are burned to mark success), but the process is loaded with formality and ritual, despite the fact that, until 1994, the position of Speaker was an appointment of the first minister.

Joan Sawicki was a rookie NDP MLA when, in 1992, she was appointed speaker by then-premier Mike Harcourt.

While there has been “chatter” about the idea of ​​a freshman MLA becoming speaker this month, Sawicki said, “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“If you’re a newbie, you’ve never sat in a caucus, you don’t know what a caucus is like, you don’t know what’s going on in the dining room as members get to know each other, you can’t make subtle judgments about when to intervene or not to intervene in the caucus. home”.

Sawicki said Eby is in a difficult position, given his small majority. “You may prefer one from your own party, but that leaves you with fewer voting members. “If I could persuade an opposition member, I would have a little more room to maneuver.”

Whoever it is, hope they come with experience, as it will make your job a little easier.

While it is an honor to be elected president (and the position comes with a salary increase of $59,766.37), it can be a thankless and isolating position that requires giving up partisan loyalties.

When BC Liberal MP Darryl Plecas was hailed as president of John Horgan’s NDP government in 2017, he was expelled from the party and forced to serve as an independent, essentially ending his political career.

“The president must have the confidence of both sides of the chamber and be neutral and balanced. Both sides of the house will always feel that their interventions favor the other side,” Sawicki said. “It is a very fine line that a Speaker must walk in his dual role as referee and servant of the chamber.”

If a member uses unparliamentary language, or if a dispute diminishes the collegial tone of the chamber, the Speaker may intervene.

“If you are too strict with your interventions, or too relaxed, if you misjudge or feel that the Speaker is intervening inappropriately, you lose the goodwill of the chamber,” Sawicki said.

The Speaker must know and administer the standing orders of the house. Sawicki had to “study” when she was appointed and said starting as a rookie was “exhausting and extremely difficult.”

The Speaker’s office and dining room are also separate from those of his colleagues. However, it is outside the home, in the hallways, dining rooms, and in caucus, where friendships are made and alliances are forged.

“It’s very isolating,” said Sawicki, who dined alone every day in front of an antique china set etched in gold with her new title: Mr. Speaker.

A Speaker depends on research secretaries to make measured, precedent-based decisions, but their only support system for advice is other Speakers across Canada.

Missteps can get presidents into trouble, such as in 2023, when House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus praised the outgoing interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in a video tribute that was deemed partisan.

The Speaker oversees a large staff and manages the administrative budget of the British Columbia legislature.

In a 2018 report, Plecas accused Craig James, the clerk of the house, and Gary Lenz, the sergeant at arms, of excessive spending in a scandal that included allegations of self-granted pensions, expensive suits and a $3,000 wood cutter. . . James was found guilty of fraud and breach of trust, while Lenz was not criminally charged.

But the most important role of the Speaker is to maintain the status quo or continuity of government.

With such a tight majority, the chances that the president will have to break ties are “pretty high,” Sawicki said.

“In the event of a tie, each Speaker would have to rely on the secretaries to follow procedures and precedents to determine the decision to be made. “It would never be a partisan decision.”

Sawicki, who was replaced as president in 1994 by NDP MP Emery Barnes, considers it an “incredible privilege” to serve in that role.

She has this advice in case a rookie is elected: “Try to be fair and neutral, understand your standing orders, and trust the advice of the secretaries.”