Les résultats des élections étaient tellement stupéfiants, vu l'élection de députés du Bloc québécois ainsi que de députés du Parti réformiste du Canada, que cela annulait l'engagement pris dans le livre rouge de confier les deux postes de vice-présidents à l'opposition.
The only defence he could come up with for this appointment was that somehow the Liberal members who put forward the report that suggested the two deputy speaker positions should be from the opposition, that somehow that was done before the election. There were such astounding results in the election with the election of Bloc Quebecois members as well as Reform Party of Canada members that somehow it negates the commitment made in the red book to have the two deputy speaker positions actually filled from the opposition.