No movement yet to fill Nunavut’s vacant Senate seat
Two independent advisory board members must be appointed before vacancy created by Patterson’s retirement can be filled
Nunavut’s Senate seat is vacant after the retirement of former senator Dennis Patterson on Dec. 30. (File photo)
There’s no public sign of movement to fill Nunavut’s Senate vacancy, a week after former senator Dennis Patterson’s retirement.
He turned 75 on Dec. 30, the mandatory retirement age from the Senate.
During his farewell speech in December, Patterson described the urgency of filling Nunavut’s only Senate seat.
“I think it is urgent that the position be filled without delay,” he said in the Senate chamber on Dec. 13.
“There is only one senator and one MP for our vast territory, encompassing Canada’s largest land mass and longest coastline, and as I have said, many pressing issues and opportunities,” said Patterson.
Nunavut has one seat in the Senate, Parliament’s 105-member upper house. Ontario and Quebec, on the other hand, each have 24.
Patterson also said he believes his successor should be Inuk to be “reflective of the population of Nunavut.”
The process for appointing a senator has changed since Patterson was appointed in 2009 by then-prime minister Stephen Harper.
In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, a non-partisan body to help fill vacancies.
Prior to that, it was entirely up to the prime minister to appoint senators to sit in Parliament’s unelected upper house. Historically, that resulted in appointments being handed out as rewards to loyal members of the prime minister’s political party.
Since 2016, the independent board has reviewed applications and created a shortlist of five names for each vacancy, based on applicants’ merit.
While the governor general formally appoints a senator, it’s really done on the advice of the prime minister.
The advisory board has three permanent members. When there’s a vacancy, two more members are appointed to the board from the province or territory with the vacancy.
The two positions for Nunavut on the advisory board are currently vacant, according to the advisory board’s website.
Work has begun to fill the board seats, according to the Privy Council Office.
“Work is underway to establish the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments for Nunavut and other jurisdictions,” spokesperson Pierre-Alain Bujold said in an email.
“Appointments to the board will be made and announced in due course.”
The Privy Council Office did not provide a timeline for filling the board seats. The office also stated Canadians may apply for appointment to the Senate at any time through an open application process.
I nominate Trina “Mummillaq” Qaqqaq.
It’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.
She couldn’t even handle a single term as a backbench opposition MP, never mind a lifetime senate appointment.
It’s down to Paul Quassa and Eva Aariak now. We will know soon enough.
Paul is turning 72 and Eva is turning 69… why bother sending either when the mandatory retirement age is 75?
“Work is underway to establish the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments for Nunavut and other jurisdictions,” spokesperson Pierre-Alain Bujold said in an email.”
And how are board members considered? I have yet to see a public request for interested persons to step forward.
And how does a person get considered for the Senatorial position? I have yet to see a public request for nominees.
Both would demonstrate the importance of public input to the process.
Everyone should nominate Paul Okalik, Tagak Curly
Tagak is 80. Senators have be under 75.
The process is basically “be a friend of Justin Trudeau”.
Nellie Kusugak is a good choice.
Joe Jr Savikataq