This is a list of current members of the Senate of Canada (French: Le Sénat du Canada), the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Unlike the members of Parliament in the House of Commons, the 105 senators are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.[1] Senators originally held their seats for life; however, under the British North America Act, 1965, members may not sit in the Senate after reaching the age of 75.
Seats are allocated on a regional basis: each of the four major regions receives 24 seats, with 9 remaining seats assigned to jurisdictions outside those regions. The four major regions are Ontario, Quebec, the Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), and the Western provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan). The seats for Newfoundland and Labrador (6), the Northwest Territories (1), Yukon (1), and Nunavut (1) are assigned apart from these regional divisions.[2] The province of Quebec has 24 Senate divisions that are constitutionally mandated. In all other provinces, a Senate division is strictly an optional designation of the senator's own choosing, and has no real constitutional or legal standing. A senator who does not choose a special senate division is considered a senator for the province at large.[2]
As of June 28, 2024[update], there are 96 sitting senators. Of the sitting senators: 43 are members of the Independent Senators Group, 18 are members of the Canadian Senators Group, 14 are members of the Progressive Senate Group, 12 are members of the senate caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada, and 11 are non-affiliated. 7 seats are currently vacant.[3]
Active senators have been appointed on the advice of three different prime ministers: Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper, and Jean Chrétien. Jane Cordy is the longest-serving current senator; she was appointed on the advice of Jean Chrétien in 2000.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search