The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments is an independent, non-partisan body established by
Canadian Prime Minister
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as such ...
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...
to provide merit-based recommendations on nominations to the
Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Senate is modelled after the ...
. The body was established in an attempt to end partisanship in Senate appointments. Individuals wishing to be appointed to the Senate may submit an application to the board for consideration. The board was established on January 19, 2016 and is made up of three permanent federal members and two members from each of the provinces or territories where a vacancy is to be filled.
On January 19, 2016, the names of the members of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments were announced. The chair is former deputy minister
Huguette Labelle
Huguette Labelle (born April 15, 1939) is a Canadian retired civil servant and former Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, serving from 1994 until 2012. She has been the chair of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments since 201 ...
. There are two other federal members: Ms. Melissa Blake from Fort McMurray, Alberta and the Honourable Francois Rolland from Montreal. Two provincial or territorial members are also appointed to represent provinces and territories with current or anticipated vacancies in the Senate. This board makes up a short list of candidates to be considered for Senate vacancies, based on merit instead of partisan politics. However, the slate of recommended candidates is not binding on the Prime Minister who will make the final decision as to who is recommended to the Governor General for appointment.
[Since the process was established in 2016, all 60 appointments (as of July 2021) were made from recommendations provided by this Board.
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See also
*Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments The Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments was established on 4 November 2012 to assist the government of Canada (the Crown- in-Council) with the appointment of the Governor General of Canada, provincial lieutenant governors, and territoria ...
References
External links
Website
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Senate of Canada
Federal departments and agencies of Canada
Government agencies established in 2016
Independent government agencies of Canada
2016 establishments in Canada