Trudeau’s Senate appointees will carry out his ‘radical agenda’ under a Conservative government
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.
Among his final acts as prime minister, Justin Trudeau intends to stack the Senate with appointees favourable to his brand of politics — a move some question as illegitimate.
Despite proroguing Parliament on January 6, and given his intent to resign on March 9, Trudeau will fill 10 Senate vacancies owing to retirements, Radio-Canada first reported.
“Prorogation did not affect the ability of the Governor General to make appointments to the Senate based on the advice of the prime minister,” said Simon Lafortune, spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office. “The prime minister takes his responsibility to appoint senators seriously and will do so as long as he remains in office.”
A source familiar with the matter told the state broadcaster the selection process should be completed before his departure.
Meanwhile, many of the Trudeau appointees have said, since they were appointed, they will continue to act in the same way they did under the current government, prompting fears they will usurp the will of Canadians for ideology.
These unelected legislators, who can sit in the Senate until the age of 75, do not have the same democratic legitimacy as MPs, and cannot oppose government bills that are subject to clear election promises.
Still, Conservative Senators, who currently number 12 in the 105-seat chamber, are worried by what said pushback could entail under a probable Conservative government.
“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,” said Conservative Senator Claude Carignan.
Carignan admits Trudeau “has the power to appoint senators,” but questioned his legitimacy to do so, given his stated intent to resign in the coming weeks.
Last August, Trudeau made a controversial Senate selection with Tracy Muggli. The long-time social worker and health-care professional donated $18,832.07 to her riding association and Liberal leadership contestants from 2006 to 2020.
All Canadian senators were affiliated with a political party prior to 2014, when Trudeau surprisingly expelled all of them from the Liberal caucus, the Official Opposition at the time.
The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointment suggested her appointment. The body, which Trudeau created afterwards, recommends “independent” and qualified Canadians for the Senate, though it harbours a history of being dominated by Liberal candidates and donors.
“How will non-partisan senators decide to organize? The question remains open,” Peter Harder, a former senior bureaucrat turned Senator told CBC News.
The Trudeau government most recently appointed party donors Gerald Glavine and Sandra Kelly to the board in 2021, as well as Alberta's Daryl Fridhandler (2024) and Ontario's Toni Varone (2023).
Among other party supporters to receive a Senate appointment include Bernadette Clement, Hassan Yussuff, Michèle Audette, Amina Gerba, and Joan Kingston. Rodger Cuzner, a former Liberal minister, also received a nod to the Red Chamber.
Transgender activist Kris Wells was also appointed to the Senate last summer by Trudeau.

Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.

COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-01-27 17:27:49 -0500This is Trudeau’s scorched earth policy. He’s such a looser. We know Trudeau will set as many booby traps and legal landmines to achieve his aims. We really must pray for Pierre Poilievre’s success in reversing the damage the Liberals did.