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Jul 7, 2026 3:23 PM - Connect Newsroom - Ramandeep Kaur with files from The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed four new senators, including his principal secretary Tom Pitfield and Conservative MP Richard Martel, marking the first Senate appointments of his tenure.
The Prime Minister's Office announced Tuesday that Pitfield and Martel will represent Quebec in the upper chamber. According to the announcement, Carney is also ending the previous government's practice of using a non-partisan advisory process as the primary criterion for Senate appointments.
Pitfield has served as Carney's principal secretary since the prime minister took office in March 2025 and has been a longtime Liberal strategist. Martel was first elected as the Conservative member of Parliament for Chicoutimi–Le Fjord in 2018 and has held several opposition leadership roles, including serving as the party's Quebec lieutenant under former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole.
The other appointments are Dr. Rodney Ouellette, a cancer researcher from New Brunswick, and Geeta Tucker, a chartered professional accountant from Manitoba.
