The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Kingston and the Islands is an Iron Man in Canadian politics.

Milliken may not get the airtime enjoyed by the party leaders, but as the Speaker of the House of Commons, he plays a key role in keeping Parliament on track.

And he's just set a record worthy of Cal Ripkin, Jr.

As the official Hansard from the Parliamentary session of Wednesday, October 21, 2009 shows, Milliken has surpassed the record of 3,177 days as Speaker of the House. His own party, the Liberals, only held power for 57% of that time, as noted by CPC House leader Jay Hill.

Milliken, unlike previous long-serving Speakers, was not appointed by the Prime Minister, but rather, elected by secret ballot three times, and acclaimed once by Members of the House of Commons.

As noted by the Leader of the Opposition, Michael Ignatieff, Milliken's career as Speaker is even more noteworthy because the Speaker has only had to cast a deciding vote in the House ten times since Confederation - and 5 of those votes have been Milliken's.

In a rare moment of accord in the often raucous House, NDP leader Jack Layton and Bloq Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe echoed Hill and Ingatieff in recognizing Milliken's outstanding service, duly noting both his sense of humour and his deeply-held belief in the institution of Parliament.

But it was Milliken's own comments that charmed most. Accepting the accolades of his colleagues with good grace, he wistfully acknowledged the thrill of a good debate as an ordinary Member: "It is always fun presiding but I do miss the opportunity to heckle."