Alan Macnaughton

Who was Alan Macnaughton?

Alan Aylesworth Macnaughton, PC OC QC was a Canadian parliamentarian and Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 1963 to 1966.

Macnaughton was born in Napanee, Ontario, and educated at Upper Canada College. He studied law at McGill University and began a law practice in Montreal where he served as a Crown Attorney from 1933 to 1942.

Macnaughton first won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the 1949 election when he was returned as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Mount Royal. Macnaughton served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee after the 1958 election, and his performance in that position led to the newly elected Liberal government nominating him for the position of Speaker following the 1963 election.

Macnaughton presided over a House of Commons led by a minority government in which no party had control of the House, resulting in long and bitter debates that made it a challenge for any Speaker to maintain order.

Acrimonious debates included that over the adoption of a new Canadian flag as well as the Munsinger Affair and other scandals. As Speaker, he attempted to bring in procedural reforms to make Parliament more efficient. He established four subcommittees of the Special Committee on Procedure and Organization, each chaired by a member of a different political party.