Prime Minister Trudeau accompanies Geoff Regan (LLB’83) to the Speaker’s chair (Credit: CBC News)

The Honourable Geoff Regan (LLB’83) has been elected Speaker of the House of Commons through a secret ballot of members of Parliament.

He is the first Atlantic Canadian to hold the position in almost a century.

Regan is a Liberal MP representing the Halifax West riding, and has been involved in federal politics since he was first elected as MP in 1993.

Upon hearing the announcement, Regan followed the Parliamentary tradition of being dragged to the Speaker’s chair by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose.

Regan addressed the crowd humbly, expressing his intent to unify the House across party lines in order to make progress.

The Dalhousie Schulich School of Law alumnus and Nova Scotia native had another reason to celebrate yesterday. The day marked his twenty-second wedding anniversary with The Honourable Kelly Regan, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education in Nova Scotia.

With George Furey’s (LLB’83) recent appointment as Speaker of the Senate, the Speaker positions of both chambers of Parliament are now held by Dalhousie alumni.

Read more in “Meet Geoff Regan, the new Speaker of the House of Commons” on cbc.ca.