Prime Minister Trudeau is facing criticism for failing to uphold his promise to keep the Senate independent after a review found over half of his appointments have ties to the Liberals.
Trudeau, who has named over 80 senators since taking office, created an independent and nonpartisan advisory board in 2016 whose recommendations he has exclusively relied on for appointments ever since.
A CBC analysis found a long list of Liberal donors, staffers, and candidates among the appointees, calling into question the “independence” of the advisory board.
“Trudeau was lying when he made that commitment and he is lying now about making it. He is counting on the Senate to be the source of ‘resistance’ to (Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre) after the next election, which will further erode its legitimacy,” University of Calgary political science professor Barry Cooper told True North.
Many of Trudeau’s appointees had either previously served in the party or were long-standing Liberal donors, several of whom donated tens of thousands of dollars, Elections Canada records show.
One of Trudeau’s latest appointments is Mohammad Al Zaibak, a businessman who’s made over 150 donations to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Trudeau also appointed former Nova Scotia Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, who also served as parliamentary secretary in the Trudeau government, and Victor Boudreau, who served as a provincial cabinet minister and interim leader for the New Brunswick Liberal party.
Others include Joan Kingston, a former Liberal member of the New Brunswick legislature.
Longtime Liberal donor Toni Varone, a Toronto businessman, donated nearly $15,000 to the Liberals in the five years leading up to his appointment.
New Brunswick lawyer John McNair was formerly a Liberal chief of staff and the executive director of the New Brunswick Liberal Association before his appointment. His grandfather, John B. McNair also served as a premier of New Brunswick under the Liberal banner.
“Another day and yet another Trudeau promise broken. He lied to Canadians and said he would make the Senate independent and non-partisan but the reality is that nearly every person he has appointed is in fact a Liberal Senator,” Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told True North.
“Trudeau’s appointments are all about advancing his inflationary and costly agenda, including by blocking common sense bills like C-234 to take the carbon tax off our farmers and our food.“
According to Conservative Sen. Denise Batters, the latest round of appointments tied to the Liberal government prove quite bluntly that Trudeau’s appointment process is far from nonpartisan.
“Frankly, this is much like a lot of things that have happened with the Trudeau government,” Batters told CBC News. “Justin Trudeau promised an independent Senate. But what has happened is actually the exact opposite of it. He’s still trying to hide behind this veneer of independence.”
True North contacted the Prime Minister’s Office for comment but did not receive a reply.
Scheer called the Senate appointments part of Trudeau’s plan to “ram through his radical agenda that has caused hurt and misery across our country.”