Robert “Bob” Falby.
Photo: Art Babych
Robert (“Bob”) Falby, a lay canon in the diocese of Toronto where he is Chancellor (chief legal officer), was elected Deputy Prolocutor at the last meeting of the General Synod in 2007. The next year, Stephen Andrews, who had been elected bishop of the Diocese of Algoma, and Canon Falby, took over the Prolocutor’s job.
The Prolocutor-a Latin word meaning the “speaker” of a convocation-is the second highest elected official in the church after Archbishop Fred Hiltz and a member of the Council of General Synod (COGs). He is an alternative chair to the Synod and COGs.
Falby has been a delegate to General Synod since 1995, and on the Council since 2001. He has served on a number of committees: audit, handbook, nominating, resolutions. He has been a warden at St. James’ Cathedral in Toronto and is a director of the Bishop Snell Foundation. Internationally he presented at the Anglican Consultative Council in Nottingham in 2006, and is a director of the Canadian Compass Rose Society, which raises funds for the work of the Anglican Communion office.
Four other people ran for the position. They included:
· the Rev. Canon Alan Perry of the diocese of Montreal
· the Rev. Canon John Alfred Steele of the diocese of British Columbia
· the Rev. Canon Terry Leer of the diocese of Athabasca
· Mrs. Cynthia Haines-Turner of the diocese of Western Newfoundland.
The Deputy Prolocutor will be a member of the clergy and that election will take place later in the week.
The election took place after Bishop Michael Ingham, chair of the Synod’s nominating committee, called the five candidates to the stage and read their biographies. As the first ballot began, a delegate rose on a point of order to register his “dismay” that delegates were being asked to vote without having the biographies in front of them either on paper or in electronic form. The election proceeded anyway.
Since Falby is a lay canon, The vote by ballot:
First Second
Falby 104 139
Perry 70 70
Steele 50 64
Haines-Turner 30
Leer 30