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The Liberal government has appointed a former senior federal public servant and chancellor of the University of Ottawa to chair a new advisory board that will recommend who Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should appoint to the Senate in future.
Huguette Labelle will head the independent panel that will provide recommendations for “merit-based” appointments to the upper chamber.
Labelle’s role in the new system was announced Tuesday by Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef.
Other federal members on the advisory board will be: Dr. Indira Samarasekera, former president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta; and Professor Daniel Jutras from McGill University’s faculty of law.
There are now 22 vacancies in the Senate and all of them will be filled this year through the new advisory process, says the government.
As a priority, five vacancies from three provinces – Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec – will be filled quickly and the advisory panel will turn its attention immediately to who should fill those Senate seats.
As part of that, the government has appointed ad hoc provincial members of the board to help its federal members consider potential nominees for those three provinces.
Those provincial board members are:
– Murray Segal, former Ontario deputy attorney general and Ontario deputy minister responsible for aboriginal affairs.
– Dr. Dawn Lavell , president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
– Sylvie Bernier, Olympic gold medalist.
– Dr. Yves Lamontagne, a Quebec psychiatrist.
– Susan Lewis, former president of the United Way of Winnipeg.
– Heather Bishop, a musician from Manitoba.
“The Government is acting rapidly to reform the Senate,” Monsef said in a written statement.
“I am very pleased to establish this important new Advisory Board, and it is truly inspiring that such eminent Canadians have agreed to serve on it. The new, independent process will help inject a new spirit of non-partisanship into the Senate.
“I believe that this new process will immediately begin to restore the confidence of Canadians in an institution that plays an essential role in our parliamentary system.”
However, a delay in the establishment of the board – which was initially expected to be “constituted” in December – means that Trudeau won’t make his first round of five Senate appointments, as hoped, by the end of this month when Parliament resumes.
One of those five new Independent senators will be named the Liberal government’s “representative” in the upper chamber.
With the Senate set to resume sitting Jan. 26, current senators are waiting to learn what the role of that government “representative” will be.
In particular, Conservative senators want to know whether that person will fulfil the same function as a government leader in the Senate, to be held accountable in the chamber and to answer questions from senators on the opposition benches.
Sources say it’s expected Trudeau will be in a position to make the five Senate appointments in February, after the advisory board has enough time to conduct consultations and to make its recommendations.
By picking Labelle as chair of the advisory board, the government has opted for someone with long experience in public service.
She held a variety of senior management posts in the federal departments such as Indian and Northern Affairs and Health Canada.
From 1985 to 1990 she was the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of Canada. From 1990 to 1993, she was the deputy minister of Transport.
From 1993 to 1999, she was president of the Canadian International Development Agency.
Labelle was appointed chancellor of the University of Ottawa in 1994 and held the post until 2012.
The new appointments process is unprecedented in Canada. For decades, prime ministers have used the Senate as a patronage dumping ground and have sent political cronies, party fundraisers and failed candidates to the upper chamber.
Under the new system, Trudeau will not be legally bound to follow the board’s advice, but will be politically obliged to pick a name from the list he is sent.
mkennedy@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy_
查看原文...
Huguette Labelle will head the independent panel that will provide recommendations for “merit-based” appointments to the upper chamber.
Labelle’s role in the new system was announced Tuesday by Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef.
Other federal members on the advisory board will be: Dr. Indira Samarasekera, former president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta; and Professor Daniel Jutras from McGill University’s faculty of law.
There are now 22 vacancies in the Senate and all of them will be filled this year through the new advisory process, says the government.
As a priority, five vacancies from three provinces – Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec – will be filled quickly and the advisory panel will turn its attention immediately to who should fill those Senate seats.
As part of that, the government has appointed ad hoc provincial members of the board to help its federal members consider potential nominees for those three provinces.
Those provincial board members are:
– Murray Segal, former Ontario deputy attorney general and Ontario deputy minister responsible for aboriginal affairs.
– Dr. Dawn Lavell , president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.
– Sylvie Bernier, Olympic gold medalist.
– Dr. Yves Lamontagne, a Quebec psychiatrist.
– Susan Lewis, former president of the United Way of Winnipeg.
– Heather Bishop, a musician from Manitoba.
“The Government is acting rapidly to reform the Senate,” Monsef said in a written statement.
“I am very pleased to establish this important new Advisory Board, and it is truly inspiring that such eminent Canadians have agreed to serve on it. The new, independent process will help inject a new spirit of non-partisanship into the Senate.
“I believe that this new process will immediately begin to restore the confidence of Canadians in an institution that plays an essential role in our parliamentary system.”
However, a delay in the establishment of the board – which was initially expected to be “constituted” in December – means that Trudeau won’t make his first round of five Senate appointments, as hoped, by the end of this month when Parliament resumes.
One of those five new Independent senators will be named the Liberal government’s “representative” in the upper chamber.
With the Senate set to resume sitting Jan. 26, current senators are waiting to learn what the role of that government “representative” will be.
In particular, Conservative senators want to know whether that person will fulfil the same function as a government leader in the Senate, to be held accountable in the chamber and to answer questions from senators on the opposition benches.
Sources say it’s expected Trudeau will be in a position to make the five Senate appointments in February, after the advisory board has enough time to conduct consultations and to make its recommendations.
By picking Labelle as chair of the advisory board, the government has opted for someone with long experience in public service.
She held a variety of senior management posts in the federal departments such as Indian and Northern Affairs and Health Canada.
From 1985 to 1990 she was the chairperson of the Public Service Commission of Canada. From 1990 to 1993, she was the deputy minister of Transport.
From 1993 to 1999, she was president of the Canadian International Development Agency.
Labelle was appointed chancellor of the University of Ottawa in 1994 and held the post until 2012.
The new appointments process is unprecedented in Canada. For decades, prime ministers have used the Senate as a patronage dumping ground and have sent political cronies, party fundraisers and failed candidates to the upper chamber.
Under the new system, Trudeau will not be legally bound to follow the board’s advice, but will be politically obliged to pick a name from the list he is sent.
mkennedy@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy_
查看原文...
