Prime Minister Justin Trudeau abandoned another campaign promise with his resignation less than two weeks away. He has made 104 federal appointments following the January 6 announcement, reported Blacklock’s.

Among the appointees include four senators and 14 judges, sparking concerns of alleged partisanship.

“I made a personal commitment to bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa,” Trudeau wrote in a 2015 Ministerial Mandate letter. At the time, he made a “commitment to transparency and merit-based appointments.”

The federal government has since faced calls for greater transparency on judicial and senate appointees of late. Trudeau appears determined to stack the Senate with people favourable to his brand of politics.

We took our billboard truck to Ottawa to EXPOSE Trudeau’s atrocious Senate picks

Justin Trudeau’s poll numbers are tanking and a potential federal election is now looming over his head, so it makes sense why he’s now working overtime to cement his woke legacy in the Senate for… pic.twitter.com/BvIA2DvAXg

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 6, 2024

“For someone who advocated an independent Senate, [Trudeau] will have ended up filing the Senate with a large majority of Liberals or people who support his policies,” Conservative Senator Claude Carignan said last month.

All Canadian senators were affiliated with a political party prior to 2014, when Trudeau surprisingly expelled all of them from the Liberal caucus.

The Independent Advisory Board for Senate, which he established, recommends “independent” and qualified Canadians for the Senate, though it harbours a history of being dominated by Liberal candidates and donors.

In 2015, he promised to “make Parliament relevant again” by ensuring that “Canadians once again have a real voice in Ottawa,” he wrote in his Mandate letter. 

“Parliamentarians must have the information and the freedom to do their most important jobs, represent their constituents and hold the government to account.”

No appointments have been scrutinized by parliamentarians to date as the prorogation order suspended all federal business until Monday, March 24. 

Despite proroguing Parliament on January 6, and given his intent to resign on March 9, Trudeau still intends on filling 10 Senate vacancies over the next month.

MORE: https://t.co/szzHxoTl8j pic.twitter.com/5MVk8NpK5g

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) January 27, 2025

The 12 Conservative Senators who fill the 105-seat chamber are worried there could be pushback under a probable Conservative government, given these unelected legislators can oppose government bills not tied to clear election promises.

Senator Carignan admits Trudeau “has the power to appoint senators,” but questioned the legitimacy of those choices given the prorogation order and his upcoming departure as prime minister.

“Prorogation did not affect the ability of the Governor General to make appointments to the Senate based on the advice of the prime minister,” confirmed a PMO spokesperson.

“It is time for the temperature to come down, for the people to have a fresh start,” Trudeau told reporters on January 6.

Amid ongoing calls to urgently fill judicial vacancies, court watchers have pressed the federal government to bolster transparency on the apparent ‘partisanship’ of judicial appointees. https://t.co/JBNLAXSNs7

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 10, 2023

Meanwhile, an eight-month investigation by the National Post and the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) uncovered that 76.3% of judges who donated to political parties favoured the Liberal Party of Canada.

Since 2016, the number of Conservative donors appointed as judges fell significantly, whereas judges who donated to the NDP more than doubled between 2016 and 2022.

New Democrats had a supply and confidence agreement with the Liberal Party until last September 4, when leader Jagmeet Singh repudiated further collaboration.

Among the other appointees approved by Trudeau and his cabinet include several diplomats, two “special advisors” and directors of dozens of federal boards. 

In 2016, nearly one in three (31.3%) judicial and tribunal appointees who donated to a political party donated to the Conservatives. Six years later, that number dropped to 20%. 

During that period, the share of NDP donors appointed by the Liberals rose significantly from 12.5% to 28%.

.@JustinTrudeau OK's 104 fed appointments since announcing his retirement incl. 4 senators, 6 ambassadors, 14 judges and patronage reappointment of ex-Lib MP to take effect in July.  https://t.co/heaXlU9Cmx #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/SdZyQB9dBo

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) February 27, 2025

Legal scholars have repeatedly viewed the federal appointment process for judges and tribunal members as “fundamentally political.” The lack of diversity in the judiciary undermines public confidence in Canada’s courts.

The Department of Justice earlier said “the minister does not receive information on the political affiliation or donation history” as information pertinent to an applicant’s candidacy.

However, the Globe and Mail revealed Liberalist, a partisan database, was used to vet judiciary candidates recommended by the justice minister. A PMO spokesperson denied the media reports.

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Justin Trudeau, widely regarded by many as one of the worst prime ministers in Canada’s history, has now announced his resignation — but merely swapping in a new Liberal leader will not erase the harm his policies have done. Canadians deserve the chance to hold his government accountable through an immediate election, rather than letting the same party quietly choose his successor. By standing with Rebel News, you’ll help us continue our tireless investigative efforts to shed light on government mismanagement, hold powerful voices to account, and give Canadians a clear, unfiltered perspective as we push for — and prepare to cover — an imminent federal election.

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