Archdeacon Harry Huskins
Photo: Art Babych
The No. 2 officer of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada and his deputy have both been elected for three-year terms. But delegates came close to taking a chance on someone new for deputy prolocutor.
Archdeacon Harry Huskins, executive archdeacon of the diocese of Algoma, was elected deputy prolocutor with a third-ballot margin of only four votes over Archdeacon Lynne Corfield of St. John the Evangelist Church in Niagara Falls.
Archdeacon Huskins becomes deputy to the prolocutor elected on Sat. Jun. 5: Canon Robert (“Bob”) Falby, a lay canon in the diocese of Toronto, where he is chancellor or chief legal officer.
About two years ago, Archdeacon Huskins became deputy prolocutor in a shuffle resulting from the election of the then prolocutor, Stephen Andrews, as the bishop of Algoma. Canon Falby, then deputy prolocutor, moved up a notch and the Council of General Synod (CoGS) tabbed Archdeacon Huskins as the new deputy.
A student of canon law and legislative procedure, Archdeacon Huskins has master’s degrees in history and canon law and has just completed a doctorate in theology at Oxford. Archdeacon Corfield, whom he defeated 138-134 on the third ballot, is a regional archdeacon, is active in youth ministry, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) and financial committees. She is also a strong supporter of the International Anglican Women’s Network.
Archdeacon Huskins led Archdeacon Corfield 79-75 on the first ballot and trailed her 112-116 on the second. After the first ballot, which listed six candidates, Rev. Canon John Alfred Steele of St. Dunstan’s Church, Victoria, in the diocese of British Columbia, was eliminated as lowest polling candidate. The two next lowest, Archdeacon Peter John Hobbs of Christ Church Bells Corners in the diocese of Ottawa and Rev. Canon Alan Perry, incumbent of St. Barnabas Church in Pierrefonds in the diocese of Montreal, dropped out.
In a second ballot with three candidates, Very Rev. Iain Luke, dean of Athabasca and rector of St. James Cathedral in Peace River, Alta., got 36 votes, forcing a third ballot.
In Saturday’s voting for prolocutor, Canon Falby was elected over four other candidates: The Rev. Canon Alan Perry, The Rev. Canon John Alfred Steele and The Rev. Canon Terry Leer of the diocese of Athabasca and Cynthia Haines-Turner of the diocese of Western Newfoundland. Nominations for deputy prolocutor are open only to clergy if a lay person is elected prolocutor and vice versa.
The prolocutor-from a Latin word meaning the “speaker” of a convocation-is the second highest elected official in the church after the primate. Either the prolocutor or the deputy prolocutor preside at meetings of the General Synod and CoGS as alternatives to the primate.