QUESTION PERIOD — Prime Minister’s Office
Senate Appointments
June 16, 2021
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, I think we can both agree that democracy functions best when the voice and the will of citizens are respected. The Alberta government has recently reinstated the Alberta Senate Election Act, a process that has elected Albertans who have served, such as Senator Brown and Senator Unger, and who are currently serving, such as Senator Black and Senator Tannas, this institution with distinction. The Government of Alberta has now called on Prime Minister Trudeau to respect the democratic process and appoint Alberta senators that will be chosen by the people of Alberta in the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for October 18.
Senator Gold, my question is simple: Will your government continue to appoint senators recommended by friends and donors of the Liberal Party while vetted by committees appointed by Justin Trudeau, or will your government commit to appointing senators democratically chosen by the people of Alberta?
Thank you for your question. I do not accept your characterization of the process whereby senators have been appointed by the current government, and I won’t comment further. The government is committed to continuing and following through on its commitment to build a more effective, independent and less partisan Senate. In that regard, it stands by the process that it has developed and implemented to appoint senators in a more open, merit-based and transparent way than has ever been done before.
Government leader, whether you accept the premise of my question or not, the truth is that the process for appointing senators is the same now as it has always been. It is a choice and a decision made by the Prime Minister. The one difference, of course, being that the previous government, under former Prime Minister Harper, actually respected the Senate election process in Alberta. Perhaps that’s why when — at the first opportunity your government had to appoint the next duly elected senator from Alberta — you skipped right over him. Maybe Mr. Trudeau just couldn’t pass up another opportunity to stick it to the people of Alberta.
Does your government intend to stick to the status quo of appointing senators, or can we have your commitment to respect the democratic process by honouring Senate nominations by Albertans, thus honouring the objective of our forefathers to ensure regional representation, which is unfortunately often underserved in the other place?
The commitment of this government is to continue with the process of appointing senators in an open, merit-based, transparent way, as it has been doing since the election of this government.
