Trudeau & O'Toole Just 'Dragged' Canada's New Speaker & The Tradition Is So Weird (PHOTOS)

Are you ok, Anthony? Liberal MP Anthony Rota has officially been re-elected Speaker of the House of Commons, and he restarted the role in the weirdest way ever.

On Monday, November 22, the House reconvened for the first time in nearly nine months, following an election campaign that didn't actually change too much.

The first order of business was to elect a new Speaker, whose role it is to "interpret parliamentary rules and traditions in an impartial manner," among other duties.

Anthony Rota beat out six other candidates in Monday's vote, including former Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

To acknowledge his reelection — per tradition in the House of Commons — Rota was physically (but jokingly) dragged to the Speaker's chair by Justin Trudeau and Erin O'Toole. Yep, really.

It's a custom that dates back centuries to the British Parliament, when the speaker's job was to communicate the Commons' opinions to the monarch. If the monarch didn't like the opinions — well — let's just say it would end badly for the speaker.

For that reason, the role historically was not a popular one, and previous parliamentarians would need some "gentle persuasion" to convince them to do it, hence the dragging!

It's not the first time Rota has been dragged along by his colleagues, either.

Back in 2019, Justin Trudeau and then-Conservative leader Andrew Scheer joined together to physically haul him to the seat.

Fortunately, both times Rota has taken the tradition in good spirits and laughed (for the most part) as he was heaved along. Fortunately, the chances of him being killed by the queen these days seem pretty unlikely.

"Anthony Rota is respected and recognized as a skilled Parliamentarian," Trudeau wrote in an official statement.

"I offer my congratulations to Speaker Rota on his re-election and look forward to continue working with him – and all members of the House – to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build a better future for everyone."