House of Commons Clerk Charles Robert announced his retirement on December 7, 2022, marking the end of a 42-year career on Parliament Hill. He cited the upcoming launch of the House's next strategic plan in 2023 as the reason for his departure, believing that new leadership would be beneficial for the plan's success.
House of Commons Clerk Charles Robert surprised members of the Board of Internal Economy on Dec. 7 by announcing his plans to retire in the new year after five-and-a-half years as clerk of the Lower Chamber and 42 years on the Hill overall. In his statement—a late-stage addition to the meeting’s agenda—Robert cited the House of Commons’ intent to launch its next strategic plan in 2023 as the reason for his decision to retire as of Jan. 13.
“To further ensure its success, I believe the new strategic plan should be championed by someone who can carry it through from its beginning to its end,” said Robert. “Given this reality, I feel that it is an appropriate time for me to step away.” The House’s most recent strategic plan for 2019-22 included a revamping of the MP orientation program, management of the Chamber’s move out of the Centre Block building ahead of renovations, the creation of “SourcePlus” customer service teams to support MPs, and changes to the adaptive services offered to help outgoing MPs transition to life post-politics. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Robert and his team also helped usher in a quick transition to hybrid proceedings and oversaw the launch of electronic voting, among other things. The next strategic plan, Robert noted, will have “one House, one team” as its vision, with a reinforced focus on “client service.” Though it has not been without its challenges, serving as your clerk has been an extraordinary privilege. I am most proud to have been part of such a remarkable team of multidisciplinary colleagues in the administration, who embody our values of integrity, excellence, collaboration, and inclusion,” said Robert. “It would be hard to imagine a better way for me to end my 42-year career on the Hill,” he continued, emotion audible in his voice. “It has been quite a journey, one that has reinforced my admiration for our amazing parliamentary system at the heart of our democracy.” Charles Robert, pictured in January 2018, says his 42-year career on the Hill has been 'quite the journey.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade The House of Commons voted to approve Robert’s appointment as the 13th clerk of the Chamber in June 2017, and he officially stepped into the role on July 10 of that year, replacing acting clerk Marc Bosc, who had stepped in following Audrey O’Brien’s retirement from the key post in 2016. Robert was interim clerk of the Senate before his appointment, and had been working for the Red Chamber since 1991. Robert started his Hill career working for the Library of Parliament, and worked for the House before moving to the Senate in the early ‘90s. A Dec. 7 press release from the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons notes that “among many achievements at the Senate are the development of the first dedicated manual on the day-to-day conduct of Senate sittings and rules,” called Senate Procedure in Practice, “and the direction of a complete revision of the Rules of the Senate to simplify, clarify and modernize them.” In 2019, Robert attempted to undertake a revision of the House Standing Orders, with the stated aim of clarifying existing rules to make the convoluted rule book more accessible for MPs, but ultimately backed away from the endeavor following opposition concerns that the project was a “back-door attempt by the government to unilaterally make changes to the parliamentary rulebook,” as then-Conservative Whip Mark Strahl (Chiliwack-Hope, B.C.) put it. In response to Robert’s Dec. 7 announcement, Liberal House Leader Mark Holland (Ajax, Ont.) said “we, and indeed our democracy, owe you a tremendous debt for your service.” “I want to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of the government and I’m certain on behalf of all Parliamentarians for what you brought to the bricks and mortar of this place,” said Holland. “I really cannot express in strong enough terms my thanks, and even just over the last couple of years as we went through the pandemic, leading an administration that responded so nimbly to changing circumstances—and having to deal with a pandemic, and utilizing new technology, and finding new solutions—speaks to your capable leadership.
Charles Robert House Of Commons Parliament Hill Retirement Clerk Strategic Plan
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Some House Members Applaud As Clerk Announces Matt Gaetz Won't ServeActing House clerk announced that Matt Gaetz of Florida would not serve in the 119th Congress after an ethics report found 'substantial evidence' of rule violations. The news was met with applause from some House members.
Read more »
Jansen Returns to House of Commons, Wins B.C. ByelectionTamara Jansen has won the Dec. 16 byelection in the British Columbia riding of Cloverdale–Langley City, marking a return for the former MP to the House of Commons. Preliminary results from Elections Canada show Jansen sweeping the contest with a whopping 66.3 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, NDP MP Leah Gazan has been named a recipient of Chatelaine magazine’s Doris Anderson Award.
Read more »
House of Commons Prepares for Boundary Changes Ahead of Next ElectionThe House Board of Internal Economy approved new funding and adjusted constituency office handover rules to accommodate the upcoming federal electoral boundary redistribution.
Read more »
What happened during the fall sitting of the House of Commons, by the numbersOTTAWA — The fall sitting of the House of Commons featured non-confidence votes, plenty of partisan bickering, and very little actual passing of laws. The session that ended Dec.
Read more »
What happened during the fall sitting of the House of Commons, by the numbersOTTAWA — The fall sitting of the House of Commons featured non-confidence votes, plenty of partisan bickering, and very little actual passing of laws. The session that ended Dec.
Read more »
What happened during the fall sitting of the House of Commons, by the numbersOTTAWA — The fall sitting of the House of Commons featured non-confidence votes, plenty of partisan bickering, and very little actual passing of laws. The session that ended Dec.
Read more »