The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments is calling for new applicants to fill current and upcoming Senate vacancies.
The Senate is the Upper House in Canada’s parliamentary democracy. Created to counterbalance representation by population in the House of Commons, the Senate has evolved from defending regional interests to also playing an essential role in representing historically excluded groups, official language minority communities, and identities that may be underrepresented in the Lower House.
Senators participate in debates in the Senate Chamber, review legislation or propose their own bills, 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.
The Advisory Board for Senate Appointments is a non-partisan body mandated to provide merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate appointments. The Advisory Board is currently seeking new applicants to fill current and upcoming Senate vacancies through 2022 for the following provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario. They are also accepting applications from residents of other provinces and territories, which will be retained for future consideration once the Government of Canada establishes Advisory Boards for those jurisdictions. Applications to be considered in this cycle should be submitted to the Advisory Board by April 20, 2022, though applications are accepted at any time and are retained for two years.
Application criteria and procedures are available on the Advisory Board’s website.
