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List of current senators of Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Senate Chamber, located in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill

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 December 19, 2024, there are 97 sitting senators. Of the sitting senators: 41 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 12 are non-affiliated. 8 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. Pierrette Ringuette is the longest-serving current senator; she was appointed on the advice of Jean Chrétien in 2002.

Current senators

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Vacancies

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Province (Division) Seat last held by Affiliation Reason for vacancy Vacant since
  British Columbia Larry Campbell Non-affiliated Mandatory retirement February 28, 2023 702 days
  Ontario Victor Oh Conservative Mandatory retirement June 10, 2024 234 days
  British Columbia Mobina Jaffer Independent Senators Group Mandatory retirement August 20, 2024 163 days
  Quebec (Alma) Diane Bellemare Progressive Senate Group Mandatory retirement October 13, 2024 109 days
  Ontario Frances Lankin Independent Senators Group Resignation October 21, 2024 101 days
  Ontario Ratna Omidvar Independent Senators Group Mandatory retirement November 5, 2024 86 days
  Nova Scotia Stephen Greene (politician) Canadian Senators Group Mandatory retirement December 8, 2024 53 days
  Saskatchewan Brent Cotter Independent Senate Group Mandatory retirement December 18, 2024 43 days

Standings

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Seating plan of the Canadian Senate

Members of the Senate of Canada may sit[6] as representatives of a political party if agreed by themselves and their party.
The current party standings in the Senate of Canada are as follows:

Party BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE NL YT NT NU Total
Independent Senators Group   3 2 1 0 14 10 6 2 1 1 1 0 0 41
Canadian Senators Group   0 1 1 1 4 4 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 18
Progressive Senate Group   0 1 2 0 2 4 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 14
Conservative   1 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 12
Non-affiliated   0 2 0 4 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 12
Vacant   2 0 1 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8
Total 6 6 6 6 24 24 10 10 4 6 1 1 1 105

Membership changes since the last election

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Date Name Province Affiliation before Affiliation after Reason
September 27, 2021 Michèle Audette Quebec (De Salaberry) Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 6, 2021 Bernadette Clement Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 7, 2021 Karen Sorensen Alberta Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 8, 2021 Hassan Yussuff Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 18, 2021 Marilou McPhedran Manitoba Independent Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
October 31, 2021 Doug Black Alberta Canadian Senators Group Vacant Resigned
November 20, 2021 Josée Forest-Niesing Ontario Independent Senators Group Vacant Died in office
January 3, 2022 Thanh Hai Ngo Ontario Conservative Vacant Mandatory retirement
February 4, 2022 Dennis Patterson Nunavut Conservative Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
March 14, 2022 Mary Jane McCallum Manitoba Independent Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
March 18, 2022 Diane Griffin Prince Edward Island Canadian Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
May 6, 2022 Terry Mercer Nova Scotia Progressive Senate Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
June 3, 2022 Howard Wetston Ontario Independent Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
June 27, 2022 Michèle Audette Quebec (De Salaberry) Independent Senators Group Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
August 4, 2022 Larry Smith Quebec (Saurel) Conservative Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
September 26, 2022 Ian Shugart Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
September 26, 2022 Gigi Osler Manitoba Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 2, 2022 Vernon White Ontario Canadian Senators Group Vacant Resigned
October 24, 2022 Larry Campbell British Columbia Canadian Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
November 10, 2022 Margo Greenwood British Columbia Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
November 21, 2022 Sharon Burey Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
November 21, 2022 Andrew Cardozo Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
November 21, 2022 Rebecca Patterson Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
January 10, 2023 Gigi Osler Manitoba Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
January 12, 2023 Rebecca Patterson Ontario Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
January 24, 2023 Margo Greenwood British Columbia Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
January 31, 2023 Daniel Christmas Nova Scotia Independent Senators Group Vacant Resigned
January 31, 2023 Sandra Lovelace Nicholas New Brunswick Progressive Senate Group Vacant Resigned
February 9, 2023 Dennis Dawson Quebec (Lauzon) Progressive Senate Group Vacant Resigned
February 21, 2023 Sharon Burey Ontario Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
February 23, 2023 Andrew Cardozo Ontario Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
February 28, 2023 Larry Campbell British Columbia Non-affiliated Vacant Mandatory retirement
May 3, 2023 Beverly Jane MacAdam Prince Edward Island Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
May 3, 2023 Iris Petten Newfoundland and Labrador Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
May 12, 2023 George Furey Newfoundland and Labrador Non-affiliated Vacant Mandatory retirement
May 15, 2023 Patricia Bovey Manitoba Progressive Senate Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
July 6, 2023 Judy White Newfoundland and Labrador Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
July 6, 2023 Paul Prosper Nova Scotia Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
July 11, 2023 Colin Deacon Nova Scotia Independent Senators Group Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
August 9, 2023 Michèle Audette Quebec (De Salaberry) Progressive Senate Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
September 7, 2023 Sabi Marwah Ontario Independent Senators Group Vacant Resigned
September 15, 2023 Beverly Jane MacAdam Prince Edward Island Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
September 19, 2023 Iris Petten Newfoundland and Labrador Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 25, 2023 Ian Shugart Ontario Non-affiliated Vacant Died in office
October 31, 2023 Joan Kingston New Brunswick Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 31, 2023 John M. McNair New Brunswick Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 31, 2023 Krista Ann Ross New Brunswick Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 31, 2023 Réjean Aucoin Nova Scotia Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 31, 2023 Rodger Cuzner Nova Scotia Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
November 8, 2023 Paul Prosper Nova Scotia Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
November 22, 2023 Judy White Newfoundland and Labrador Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
December 14, 2023 Joan Kingston New Brunswick Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
December 15, 2023 Rodger Cuzner Nova Scotia Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
December 20, 2023 Marnie McBean Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
December 20, 2023 Paulette Senior Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
December 20, 2023 Toni Varone Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
December 27, 2023 Michèle Audette Quebec (De Salaberry) Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
December 30, 2023 Dennis Patterson Nunavut Canadian Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
January 10, 2024 Krista Ann Ross New Brunswick Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
January 15, 2024 John M. McNair New Brunswick Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
January 17, 2024 Renée Dupuis Quebec (The Laurentides) Independent Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
January 22, 2024 Mary Robinson Prince Edward Island Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
January 28, 2024 Mohammad Al Zaibak Ontario Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
January 30, 2024 Réjean Aucoin Nova Scotia Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
February 6, 2024 Frances Lankin Ontario Independent Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
February 12, 2024 Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu Quebec (La Salles) Conservative Vacant Mandatory retirement
February 13, 2024 Manuelle Oudar Quebec (La Salles) Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
April 10, 2024 Marnie McBean Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
April 14, 2024 Percy Mockler New Brunswick (St. Leonard) Conservative Vacant Mandatory retirement
April 18, 2024 Toni Varone Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
May 2, 2024 Manuelle Oudar Quebec (La Salles) Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
May 13, 2024 David Adams Richards New Brunswick Canadian Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
May 28, 2024 Frances Lankin Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
June 3, 2024 Mary Robinson Prince Edward Island Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
June 4, 2024 Mohammad Al Zaibak Ontario Non-affiliated Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
June 10, 2024 Victor Oh Ontario (Mississauga) Conservative Vacant Mandatory retirement
June 28, 2024 Victor Boudreau New Brunswick Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
August 17, 2024 Charles Adler Manitoba Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
August 17, 2024 Tracy Muggli Saskatchewan Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
August 20, 2024 Mobina Jaffer British Columbia Independent Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
August 30, 2024 Iris Petten Newfoundland and Labrador Independent Senators Group Non-affiliated Changed affiliation
August 31, 2024 Daryl Fridhandler Alberta Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
August 31, 2024 Kristopher Wells Alberta Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
September 10, 2024 Pierre Moreau Quebec (The Laurentides) Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
September 25, 2024 Suze Youance Quebec (Lauzon) Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
October 13, 2024 Diane Bellemare Quebec (Alma) Progressive Senate Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
October 16, 2024 Victor Boudreau New Brunswick Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
October 21, 2024 Frances Lankin Ontario Independent Senators Group Vacant Resigned
October 22, 2024 Daryl Fridhandler Alberta Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
October 25, 2024 Paulette Senior Ontario Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
November 1, 2024 Clément Gignac Quebec (Kennebec) Progressive Senate Group Canadian Senators Group Changed affiliation
November 5, 2024 Ratna Omidvar Ontario Independent Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
November 18, 2024 Jane Cordy Nova Scotia Progressive Senate Group Vacant Resigned
November 20, 2024 Tracy Muggli Saskatchewan Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
November 21, 2024 Pierre Moreau Quebec (The Laurentides) Non-affiliated Progressive Senate Group Changed affiliation
November 27, 2024 Suze Youance Quebec (Lauzon) Non-affiliated Independent Senators Group Changed affiliation
December 8, 2024 Stephen Greene Nova Scotia Canadian Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
December 18, 2024 Brent Cotter Saskatchewan Independent Senators Group Vacant Mandatory retirement
December 19, 2024 Nancy Karetak-Lindell Nunavut Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed
December 19, 2024 Allister Surette Nova Scotia Vacant Non-affiliated Appointed

Standings changes since the last election

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Number of members
per group by date
2021 2022 2023
Sep 20 Sep 27 Oct 6 Oct 7 Oct 8 Oct 18 Oct 31 Nov 20 Jan 3 Feb 4 Mar 14 Mar 18 May 6 Jun 3 Jun 27 Aug 4 Sep 26 Oct 2 Oct 24 Nov 10 Nov 21 Jan 10 Jan 12 Jan 24 Jan 31 Feb 9 Feb 21 Feb 23 Feb 28 May 3 May 12 May 15 Jul 6 Jul 11 Aug 9 Sep 7 Sep 15 Sep 19
Independent Senators Group 40 41 42 43 44 43 42 41 40 39 40 39 38 37 38 39
Conservative 18 17 16 15
Progressive Senate Group 14 13 14 13 12 13 12 11
  Canadian Senators Group 13 12 13 12 13 12 11 12 13 14 15
Non-affiliated 9 8 7 6 5 6 7 9 10 11 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 10 9 11 12 11 10
  Total members 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 90 89 90 93 91 90 89 91 90 89 91 90
Vacant 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 15 12 14 15 16 14 15 16 14 15
Number of members
per group by date
2023 2024
Oct 25 Oct 31 Nov 8 Nov 22 Dec 14 Dec 15 Dec 20 Dec 27 Dec 30 Jan 10 Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 22 Jan 28 Jan 30 Feb 6 Feb 12 Feb 13 Apr 10 Apr 14 Apr 18 May 2 May 13 May 28 Jun 3 Jun 4 Jun 10 Jun 28 Aug 17 Aug 20 Aug 30 Aug 31 Sep 10 Sep 25 Oct 13 Oct 16 Oct 21 Oct 22
Independent Senators Group 39 39 40 41 40 39 40 41 42 43 42 41 42 41
  Canadian Senators Group 15 16 15 16 17 16 17 18
Conservative 15 15 14 13 12
Progressive Senate Group 11 12 13 14 13 14
Non-affiliated 9 14 13 12 11 10 13 12 11 10 11 12 11 12 13 12 11 10 11 10 9 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 15 14
  Total members 89 94 94 97 96 95 96 97 96 97 96 95 96 98 97 99 100 101 100 99
Vacant 16 11 8 9 10 9 8 9 8 9 10 9 7 8 6 5 4 5 6
Number of members
per group by date
2024
Oct 25 Nov 1 Nov 5 Nov 18 Nov 20 Nov 21 Nov 27 Dec 8 Dec 18 Dec 19
Independent Senators Group 42 41 42 41
  Canadian Senators Group 18 19 18
Progressive Senate Group 14 13 12 13 14
Non-affiliated 13 12 11 10 12
Conservative 12
  Total members 99 98 97 96 95 97
Vacant 6 7 8 9 10 12


Appointment breakdown

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Prime Minister Term ISG CSG PSG Cons. N-A Total
  Jean Chrétien 1993–2003 2 1 0 0 0 3
  Stephen Harper 2006–2015 0 5 0 12 1 18
  Justin Trudeau 2015–present 39 12 14 0 11 76
Total 41 18 14 12 12 97

Upcoming retirements

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Sixteen current senators are scheduled to retire before the end of 2026:

  1. Nancy Hartling, February 1, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - New Brunswick
  2. Jean-Guy Dagenais, February 2, 2025, Canadian Senators Group (Harper) - Quebec
  3. Don Plett, May 14, 2025, Conservative (Harper) - Manitoba (Landmark)
  4. Marc Gold, June 30, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (Stadacona)
  5. Judith Seidman, September 1, 2025, Conservative (Harper) - Québec (De la Durantaye)
  6. Marie-Françoise Mégie, September 21, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (Rougemont)
  7. David Adams Richards, October 17, 2025, Canadian Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - New Brunswick
  8. Larry Smith, April 28, 2026, Canadian Senators Group (Harper) - Quebec (Saurel)
  9. Marilou McPhedran, July 22, 2026, Non-affiliated (Trudeau) - Manitoba
  10. Mohammad Al Zaibak, August 9, 2026, non-affiliated (J. Trudeau) - Ontario
  11. Donna Dasko, August 19, 2026, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Ontario
  12. Bev Busson, August 23, 2026, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - British Columbia
  13. Elizabeth Marshall, September 7, 2026, Conservative (Harper) - Newfoundland and Labrador
  14. Paul Massicotte, September 10, 2026, Independent Senators Group (Chrétien) - Quebec (De Lanaudière)
  15. Raymonde Saint-Germain, October 7, 2026, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (De la Vallière)
  16. Stan Kutcher, December 16, 2026, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Nova Scotia

Longevity

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Furthest year of retirement of existing senators, by prime minister

  • Pierrette Ringuette, appointed by Jean Chrétien, is due to retire on December 31, 2030
  • Kristopher Wells, appointed by Justin Trudeau, is due to retire on October 7, 2046
  • Patrick Brazeau, appointed by Stephen Harper, is due to retire on November 11, 2049

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Quebec is the only province with 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. ^ former representative of the Government and former opposition leader
  3. ^ former representative of the Government in the Senate
  4. ^ former speaker
  5. ^ former opposition leader
  6. ^ former facilitator of the Independent Senators Group

References

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  1. ^ Makarenko, Jay (June 1, 2007). "The Canadian Senate: Role, Powers & Operation". MapleLeafWeb. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "A Legislative and Historical Overview of the Senate of Canada". Parliament of Canada. May 2001. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  3. ^ "Senators". Archived from the original on January 22, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Senators". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Current Senators". Senate of Canada. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  6. ^ The Senate Chamber (PDF). Senate of Canada. February 19, 2019. pp. 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.