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Veteran Liberal MP Geoff Regan elected new Speaker of House of Commons

MPs have elected Liberal Geoff Regan as Speaker of the House of Commons.

OTTAWA — MPs have elected Liberal Geoff Regan as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Regan, 56, who represents the riding of Halifax West, was first elected in 1993, defeated in 1997 and then re-elected in 2000, and has served as MP ever since.

He defeated fellow Liberals Denis Paradis and Yasmin Ratansi and Conservative Bruce Stanton.

Regan is the son of former Nova Scotia premier and federal cabinet minister Gerald Reganhis wife Kelly is a member of the provincial legislature.

Ottawa-area MP Mauril Belanger was expected to also be a candidate, but revealed on Monday that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease -- and withdrew from the race.

Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, who held the post since 2011, opted not to run again, choosing instead to serve as Opposition House leader.

The election comes a day ahead of the Trudeau government's first throne speech, to be delivered Friday by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.