Trudeau announces the appointment of three new senators

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of three new independent senators to fill some of the Senate's few remaining vacancies.

The Prime Minister's Office says in a news release that the Governor General has appointed Baltej Dhillon for British Columbia, Martine Hébert for Quebec and Todd Lewis for Saskatchewan. Dhillon has worked with British Columbia’s anti-gang agency since 2019 and, in 1991, became the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to wear a turban. During his service, Dhillon had investigated high-profile cases ranging from serial killer Robert Pickton to the Air India bombing investigation. More recently, he ran for the provincial NDP in British Columbia's 2024 election, in the riding of Surrey-Serpentine. He finished second.

Hébert is an economist and former Quebec diplomat, and Lewis is a fourth-generation farmer and the vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. There were 22 vacancies in the Senate when Trudeau became prime minister in 2015, with his government establishing a "new, non-partisan, merit-based process" to advise on appointments. The news release says there have been 93 independent appointments to the Senate made on the advice of Trudeau. The Senate of Canada website indicates that seven vacancies remain, following the appointment of the three new senators. A dozen Senate appointments were made in 2024.

A new Liberal party leader is set to replace Trudeau on March 9. On Friday, Trudeau appointed Omar Alghabra, member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre, as Canada’s new Special Envoy for Syria.