List of current Canadian senators
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This is a list of current members of 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 B ...
(french: Le Sénat du Canada), the upper house of the
Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
. 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. 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. From 1867 to 2015, prime ministers normally chose members of their own parties to be senators, though they sometimes nominated non-affiliated senators or members of opposing parties. The pattern of political affiliation in the Senate in the most recent era is distinct in several key respects from what has been the case historically. Since November 4, 2015, there has been no government caucus in the Senate because the
Senate Liberal Caucus The Senate Liberal Caucus (french: Caucus libéral du Sénat), also known as the Senate Liberals (french: libéraux au Sénat), was, from 2014 to 2019, a parliamentary grouping in the Senate of Canada made up of independent senators who were indi ...
, which existed from 2014 until 2019, was not affiliated with the governing
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
. On December 6, 2016, for the first time in Canadian history the number of senators without a partisan affiliation exceeded that of the largest caucus of senators with a partisan affiliation. Seats are allocated on a regional basis, each of the four major regions receives 24 seats, and the remainder of the available seats being assigned to smaller 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, the
Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
, Yukon, and
Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...
are assigned apart from these regional divisions. 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. The distribution of seats has been criticized for not being proportional per region. For example, Ontario has 40 percent of Canada's population but only 24 seats, while the smaller Atlantic provinces have a combined 30, and British Columbia, the third most populous province, only has six seats. , there are 89 sitting senators. Of the sitting senators: 39 are members of the
Independent Senators Group The Independent Senators Group (ISG; french: Groupe des sénateurs indépendants) is a parliamentary group in the Senate of Canada. Established on March 10, 2016, the Independent Senators Group (ISG) is committed to a non-partisan Senate and the ...
, 15 are members of the senate caucus of the
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
, 13 are members of the
Progressive Senate Group The Progressive Senate Group (french: Groupe progressiste du sénat) is a parliamentary group in the Senate of Canada. It was formed on November 14, 2019, out of the now-defunct Senate Liberal Caucus, which had been expected to lose official pa ...
, 14 are members of the
Canadian Senators Group The Canadian Senators Group (french: Groupe des sénateurs canadiens) is a parliamentary group of senators in the Senate of Canada founded on November 4, 2019, by eight senators from the Independent Senators Group, two from the Conservative Pa ...
, and 8 are non-affiliated. 16 seats are currently vacant. Active senators have been appointed on the advice of three different prime ministers: Justin Trudeau,
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
, and
Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...
.
George Furey George J. Furey (born May 12, 1948) is a Canadian politician who has served as the speaker of the Senate of Canada since December 3, 2015. Furey was appointed as a senator from Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 and is the longest-serving member ...
is the longest-serving current senator; he was appointed on the advice of Jean Chretien in 1999. , there are 47 women in the Senate.


Current senators


Vacancies


Standings

Members of 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 B ...
may sit 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:


Membership changes since the last election


Standings changes since the last election


Appointment breakdown


Upcoming retirements

Twenty current senators are scheduled to retire before the end of 2025: #
George Furey George J. Furey (born May 12, 1948) is a Canadian politician who has served as the speaker of the Senate of Canada since December 3, 2015. Furey was appointed as a senator from Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 and is the longest-serving member ...
, May 12, 2023, Non-affiliated (Chrétien) - Newfoundland and Labrador # Patricia Bovey, May 15, 2023, Progressive Senate Group (J. Trudeau) - Manitoba #
Dennis Patterson Dennis Glen Patterson (born December 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as MLA for Frobisher Bay and Iqaluit from 1978 to 1995, as NWT Minister of Education, Justice and Municipal Affairs and was chosen as the fifth prem ...
, December 30, 2023, Canadian Senators Group (Harper) - Nunavut #
Renée Dupuis Renée Dupuis (born January 17, 1949) is a Canadian lawyer and an independent member of the Senate of Canada. Dupuis specialized in Canadian administrative law, Human rights law, and Canadian Indigenous law. She was chosen for appointment to th ...
, January 17, 2024, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (The Laurentides) #
Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu (born February 12, 1949) is a Canadian politician and victim's rights activist, who was appointed to the Senate of Canada on January 29, 2010 on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, representing the province of Quebe ...
, February 12, 2024, Conservative (Harper) - Quebec (La Salle) # Percy Mockler, April 14, 2024, Conservative (Harper) - New Brunswick (St. Leonard) #
Victor Oh Victor Oh (Chinese: 胡子修, born June 10, 1949) is a Canadian senator from Ontario. He was appointed to the Senate on January 25, 2013. Early life Oh was born in Singapore. In 1978, he immigrated to Canada with his wife and children. Over th ...
, June 10, 2024, Conservative (Harper) - Ontario #
Mobina Jaffer Mobina S. B. Jaffer (born August 20, 1949) is a Canadian Senator representing British Columbia. Early life and career Born to a Pakistani family living in Africa, Jaffer was educated in England and Canada. She earned a law degree from the Unive ...
, August 20, 2024, Independent Senators Group (Chrétien) - British Columbia #
Diane Bellemare Diane Bellemare (born October 13, 1949) is a Canadian economist and parliamentarian from Quebec, who was appointed to the Senate of Canada on September 6, 2012. From September 2003 to April 2007, she held executive jobs with the ''Conseil du pat ...
, October 13, 2024, Progressive Senators Group (Harper) - Quebec (Alma) # Ratna Omidvar, November 5, 2024, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Ontario # Stephen Greene, December 8, 2024, Canadian Senators Group (Harper) - Nova Scotia (Halifax — The Citadel) #
Brent Cotter William Brent Cotter is a Canadian member of the Senate of Canada from the province of Saskatchewan. On January 30, 2020, Cotter was nominated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fill a vacant Senate seat for Saskatchewan. Cotter was formerly ...
, December 18, 2024, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Saskatchewan #
Nancy Hartling Nancy J. Hartling (born February 1, 1950) is a Canadian Senator from Moncton, New Brunswick. She was Executive Director of Support to Single Parents Inc., as well as a founding member of St. James Court Inc., a non-profit housing complex which ...
, February 1, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - New Brunswick #
Jean-Guy Dagenais Jean-Guy Dagenais (born February 2, 1950) is a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on January 17, 2012, by Stephen Harper after losing in the 2011 Canadian federal election running as a Conservative candidate ...
, February 2, 2025, Canadian Senators Group (Harper) - Quebec # Don Plett, May 14, 2025, Conservative (Harper) - Manitoba (Landmark) # Marc Gold, June 30, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (Stadacona) #
Jane Cordy Jane Marie Cordy (born July 2, 1950) is a Canadian Senator representing Nova Scotia and former teacher and administrator. Early life Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, she received a teaching certificate from the Nova Scotia Teachers College and a Bache ...
, July 2, 2025, Progressive Senate Group (Chrétien) - Nova Scotia # Judith Seidman, September 1, 2025, Conservative (Harper) - Québec (De la Durantaye) #
Marie-Françoise Mégie Marie-Françoise Mégie (born September 21, 1950) is a Canadian Physicians in Canada, physician, university professor at the Université de Montréal, Université de Montreal and member of the Independent Senators Group in the Senate of Canada. ...
, September 21, 2025, Independent Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - Quebec (Rougemont) #
David Adams Richards David Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer and member of the Canadian Senate.
, October 17, 2025, Canadian Senators Group (J. Trudeau) - New Brunswick


Longevity

Furthest year of retirement of existing senators, by prime minister *
Pierrette Ringuette Pierrette Ringuette (born December 31, 1955), also formerly known as Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, is a Canadian Senator. Ringuette, a businesswoman and professor, was the first francophone woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of New B ...
, appointed by Jean Chrétien, is due to retire on December 31, 2030 *
Michèle Audette Michèle Taïna Audette (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian politician and activist. She has served as president of '' Femmes autochtones du Québec'' (Quebec Native Women) from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2012. She was also the president of Na ...
, appointed by Justin Trudeau, is due to retire on July 20, 2046 *
Patrick Brazeau Patrick Brazeau (born November 11, 1974) is a Canadian senator from Quebec. At the age of 34, he was and is the youngest member of the Senate during his appointment. From February 2006 until January 2009 he held the position of national chief of ...
, appointed by Stephen Harper, is due to retire on November 11, 2049


See also

*
List of Senate of Canada appointments by prime minister This is a list of Canadian Senate appointments during a prime minister's tenure. Members of the Senate of Canada are appointed by the Governor General of Canada on the recommendation of his or her prime minister. This list is broken-down by party, ...


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Current Canadian Senators Senators, Current Current
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Current Canada