Editing House of Commons of Canada (section)

=== Ceremonial and Constitutional officers ===
Following an election the House of Commons elects a presiding officer, known as the speaker,<ref name="GUIDE">{{cite book |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/GuideToHoC/pdf/guide_canadian_house_of_commons-e.pdf |title=Guide to the Canadian House of Commons |work=Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication |publisher=House of Commons of Canada |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-662-68678-1 |access-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220124405/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/GuideToHoC/pdf/guide_canadian_house_of_commons-e.pdf |archive-date=December 20, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> at the beginning of each new parliamentary term, and also whenever a vacancy arises. Formerly, the prime minister determined who would serve as speaker. Although the House voted on the matter, the voting constituted a mere formality. Since 1986, however, the House has elected speakers by secret ballot. The speaker is assisted by a deputy speaker, who also holds the title of chair of Committees of the Whole. Two other deputies—the deputy chair of Committees of the Whole and the assistant deputy chair of Committees of the Whole—also preside. The duties of presiding over the House are divided between the four officers aforementioned; however, the speaker usually presides over [[Question Period]] and over the most important debates.

Officers of the House who are not members include the [[Clerk of the House of Commons (Canada)|clerk of the House of Commons]], the [[Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons|deputy clerk]], the [[List of Law Clerks and Parliamentary Counsel of the Canadian House of Commons|law clerk and parliamentary counsel]], and several other clerks. These officers advise the speaker and members on the rules and procedure of the House in addition to exercising senior management functions within the House administration. Another important officer is the [[sergeant-at-arms]], whose duties include the maintenance of order and security on the House's premises and inside the buildings of the parliamentary precinct. (The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] patrol Parliament Hill but are not allowed into the buildings unless asked by the speaker). The sergeant-at-arms also carries the [[ceremonial mace]], a symbol of the authority of the Crown and the House of Commons, into the House each sitting. The House is also staffed by [[Canadian House of Commons Page Program|parliamentary pages]], who carry messages to the members in the chamber and otherwise provide assistance to the House.

The term ''member of Parliament'' is usually just used only to refer to elected members of the House of Commons, even though the Senate is also a part of Parliament. Members of the House of Commons may use the post-nominal letters "MP". The annual salary of each MP, {{as of|lc=y|2024|11|post=,}} was $203,100;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Salaries|title=Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances|publisher=[[Library of Parliament]]|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712224652/https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Salaries|url-status=live}}</ref> members may receive additional salaries in right of other offices they hold (for instance, the [[Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada|speakership]]). MPs rank immediately below senators in the [[Canadian order of precedence|order of precedence]].