OTTAWA — 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.
Todd Lewis has been a farmer in Saskatchewan for over 40 years, he is the fourth generation to work on his family farm in Gray, just south of Regina.
He served for five years as President of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and has sat on various committees and working groups. These include the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Environment Committee, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Crop Logistics Working Group, the Board of Directors of the Western Grains Research Foundation, and Saskatchewan’s Provincial Water Advisory Group. He is currently the first Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and a member of the Canadian National Railway Agricultural Advisory Council.
Since 1975, he has volunteered at the Gray Cooperative Centre and the Gray Cooperative Hall. Previously, he served as a School Board Trustee and as President of the Board for his community rink. Currently, Mr. Lewis continues to give back through his work as a volunteer firefighter and as a member of the Board for the Riceton Volunteer Fire Department. For over 20 years, he has also been a member of Lajord’s Municipal Council, where he is currently serving as Deputy Reeve.
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.
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.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
- This story has been updated to add biographical information on Todd Lewis provided by pm.gc.ca/
