The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (Advisory Board) is looking for assistance in identifying high-calibre Canadians who could serve in the Senate of Canada. The Advisory Board is a non-partisan body mandated to provide merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate appointments. They are engaging with organizations across the country to ensure that information about the appointments process is shared widely among Canadians, and in doing so, hope to appeal to a diverse range of applicants with a variety of backgrounds, skills, knowledge and experience.

What is the Senate’s role?
The Senate’s fundamental role is to be a complementary legislative body to the House of Commons and to provide what is referred to as sober second thought. In that role, the Senate acts essentially as a reviewing chamber on proposed bills before they are passed. The Senate also has an essential role to play in representing historically excluded groups, regional interests, official language minority communities and identities that are underrepresented in the House of Commons.

What does a senator’s work involve?
Typically, senators participate in debates in the Senate Chamber, review legislation, manage their office and stay in touch with the issues affecting the province or territory they represent. As members of Senate committees, they play an investigative role and undertake studies on challenges facing the country. These are important positions that provide a platform to speak out about the issues affecting everyone in Canada.

New application review cycle
The Advisory Board is launching a new application review cycle to help fill current and upcoming Senate vacancies through 2021 in the following provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. We are also accepting applications from residents of Manitoba and the territories, which will be retained for future consideration.

The Advisory Board encourages Canadians to apply by November 20, 2020, to ensure the Advisory Board considers their documentation for this cycle. Please note that applications are accepted at any time and are retained for two years.