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Representative of the Government in the Senate

Government representative in the Canadian Senate

Summary

Government representative in the Canadian Senate

Field	Value
post	Representative
flagcaption	Flag of the Senate of Canada
native_name	Représentant du gouvernement au Sénat
incumbent	Pierre Moreau
incumbentsince	July 18, 2025
style	The Honourable
member_of
reports_to	Prime Minister
appointer	Prime Minister
formation	July 1, 1867
first	Alexander Campbell
(as Leader of the Government)
salary	$275,000 (2024)
body	the Government in the Senate
department	Government Representative Office
Senate of Canada
website

(as Leader of the Government) Senate of Canada

The representative of the Government in the Senate () is the member of the Senate of Canada who is responsible for introducing, promoting, and defending the government's bills in the Senate after they are passed by the House of Commons. The representative is appointed by the prime minister.

The position replaced the leader of the Government in the Senate (), which from 1867 to 2015 was a senator who was a member of the governing party and led the government caucus in the Senate of Canada (whether or not that party held a majority in the Senate). The position of Leader had almost always been held by a Cabinet minister, except briefly in 1926, from 1958 to 1963 and from 2013 to the position being discontinued in 2015.

The government representative's counterpart on the Opposition benches is the leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who continues to be a member of the Official Opposition political party.

Senator Pierre Moreau has served as the third and most recent representative of the Government in the Senate since July 18, 2025.

History

As Leader of the Government

Early Canadian cabinets included several senators who would be answerable to the Senate for government actions, one of whom would serve as de facto government leader in the Senate. In the nineteenth century, it was not considered unusual for a senator to be Prime Minister. Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott and Sir Mackenzie Bowell served as prime minister from the Senate. Abbott and Bowell both found it difficult to lead the government from the Senate, however, and over time, the perceived legitimacy of the Senate declined. Today, it is rare for senators to occupy prominent positions in cabinet. From 1935 on, it was typical for a cabinet to have only one senator who would have the position of minister without portfolio alongside the position of leader of the government in the Senate.

There have been a few rare occasions when the leader of the government in the Senate was not included in the cabinet by virtue of a separate ministerial appointment, such as William Benjamin Ross who served in the position in 1926, and Walter Morley Aseltine and Alfred Johnson Brooks who were not included in the cabinets of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker from 1958-1963. In 1968, the position of leader of the government in the Senate became an official Cabinet position in its own right with the appointment of Paul Martin, Sr. (father of Canada's future prime minister, Paul Martin). From July 2013, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the government leader in the Senate was again a non-cabinet minister.

Occasionally, senators still hold senior cabinet positions (other than the leader of the government in the Senate) in order to ensure regional balance in cabinet if the governing party is unable to elect members in a particular region or province, e.g., when the Progressive Conservative Party formed the government under the leadership of Joe Clark in 1979, and when the Liberal Party formed the government under the leadership of Pierre Trudeau in 1980. However, it is usually the case that the leader of the government in the Senate is the sole senator serving in Cabinet.

The responsibilities of the leader of the government in the Senate include:

Planning and managing the government's legislative program in the Senate
Answering all questions for the government during the Senate's Question Period
Maintaining relations with the opposition on all matters concerning Senate activities
Working with the leader of the Government in the House of Commons to ensure the effective coordination of the government's legislative programme.

The government side in the Senate is the party that forms the government in the House of Commons. This means that the government party in the Senate may have fewer seats than the opposition, particularly when a general election results in a new party forming government.

As Representative of the Government

Due to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2014 decision to remove senators from the Liberal Party of Canada caucus, leaving them all effectively sitting as independent senators, Trudeau named a Representative of the Government in the Senate in the 42nd Canadian Parliament rather than a government leader. The situation created some uncertainty about how the Senate would function, and how government legislation would be brought to the Senate. Retired civil servant Peter Harder was named to the position on March 18, 2016.

On November 29, 2019, the Prime Minister's office announced that Senator Harder would be stepping down from his position as Representative of the Government in the Senate effective December 31, 2019. It was also announced that Senator Grant Mitchell would retire as Government Liaison in the Senate but would continue until a replacement for Harder was named in "due course." On January 24, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Senator Marc Gold had agreed to become the new Government Representative in the Senate, sitting as a non-affiliated senator and would also be sworn in as a Privy Councillor. Gold served from January 24, 2020 until June 30, 2025, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Office holders

Key:

No.	Portrait	Name
(Birth–Death)	Term of office	Party	Prime minister
(Ministry)	Took office	Left office	Leader of the Government in the Senate	Representative of the Government in the Senate
1	[[File:Sir Alexander Campbell.jpg	124x124px]]	Alexander Campbell
Senator for Cataraqui, Ontario
(1822–1892)	July 1,
1867	November 5,
1873	CA	Liberal-Conservative}}; "		Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald
(1st)
2	[[File:Luc Letellier de Saint-Just.jpg	103x103px]]	Luc Letellier de St-Just
Senator for Grandville, Quebec
(1820–1881)	November 5,
1873	December 14,
1876	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Alexander Mackenzie
(2nd)
3	[[File:Sir Richard William Scott.jpg	106x106px]]	Richard William Scott
Senator for Ottawa, Ontario
(1825–1913)	December 14,
1876	October 7,
1878	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
(1)	[[File:Sir Alexander Campbell.jpg	124x124px]]	Sir Alexander Campbell
Senator for Cataraqui, Ontario
(1822–1892)	October 18,
1878	February 7,
1887	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald
(3rd)
4	[[File:SirJohnAbbott1.jpg	98x98px]]	Sir John Abbott
Senator for Inkerman, Quebec
(1821–1893)	May 12,
1887	June 6,
1891	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative
June 16,
1891	October 30,
1893	Sir John Abbott
(4th)
5	[[File:SirMackenzieBowell.jpg	109x109px]]	Sir Mackenzie Bowell
Senator for Hastings, Ontario
(1823–1917)	October 31,
1893	December 12,
1894	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	Sir John Thompson
(5th)
December 21,
1894	August 19,
1896	Sir Mackenzie Bowell
(6th)
Sir Charles Tupper
(7th)
6	[[File:Oliver Mowat.jpg	106x106px]]	Sir Oliver Mowat
Senator for Ontario
(1820–1903)	August 19,
1896	November 18,
1897	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Sir Wilfrid Laurier
(8th)
7	[[File:David Mills (Canada).jpg	115x115px]]	David Mills
Senator for Bothwell, Ontario
(1831–1903)	November 18,
1897	February 7,
1902	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
(3)	[[File:Sir Richard William Scott.jpg	106x106px]]	Sir Richard William Scott
Senator for Ottawa, Ontario
(1825–1913)	February 7,
1902	January 20,
1909	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
8	[[File:Cartwright Richard John (Topley photograph).jpg	106x106px]]	Sir Richard John Cartwright
Senator for Oxford, Ontario
(1835–1912)	January 20,
1909	October 10,
1911	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
9	[[File:James Alexander Lougheed (cropped).jpg	105x105px]]	Sir James Alexander Lougheed
Senator for Calgary, Alberta
(1854–1925)	October 10,
1911	December 28,
1921	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	Sir Robert Borden
(9th and 10th)
CA	Unionist}}; "		Unionist
CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	Arthur Meighen
(11th)
10	[[File:Raoul Dandurand 1 (cropped).jpg	120x120px]]	Raoul Dandurand
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1861–1942)	December 29,
1921	June 28,
1926	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	William Lyon Mackenzie King
(12th)
11		De Lorimier, Quebec]]
(1855–1929)	June 28,
1926	September 24,
1926	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	Arthur Meighen
(13th)
(10)	[[File:Raoul Dandurand 1 (cropped).jpg	120x120px]]	Raoul Dandurand
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1861–1942)	September 25,
1926	August 6,
1930	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	William Lyon Mackenzie King
(14th)
12		Wellington Willoughby
Senator for Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
(1859–1932)	August 7,
1930	February 3,
1932	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative	R. B. Bennett
(15th)
13	[[File:Former PM Arthur Meighen.jpg	101x101px]]	Arthur Meighen
Senator for St. Mary's, Ontario
(1874–1960)	February 3,
1932	October 22,
1935	CA	Conservative (historical)}}; "		Conservative
(10)	[[File:Raoul Dandurand 1 (cropped).jpg	120x120px]]	Raoul Dandurand
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1861–1942)	October 23,
1935	March 11,
1942	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	William Lyon Mackenzie King
(16th)
14	[[File:James Horace King.jpg	127x127px]]	James Horace King
Senator for Kootenay East, British Columbia
(1873–1955)	May 26,
1942	August 24,
1945	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
15		Wishart McLea Robertson
Senator for Shelburne, Nova Scotia
(1891–1967)	August 24,
1945	October 14,
1953	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
Louis St. Laurent
(17th)
16	[[File:William Ross Macdonald.jpg	115x115px]]	William Ross Macdonald
Senator for Brantford, Ontario
(1891–1976)	October 14,
1953	June 20,
1957	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
17		John Thomas Haig
Senator for Winnipeg, Manitoba
(1877–1962)	October 9,
1957	May 11,
1958	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative	John Diefenbaker
(18th)
18		Rosetown, Saskatchewan]]
(1886–1971)	May 12,
1958	August 31,
1962	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative
19		Royal, New Brunswick]]
(1890–1967)	August 31,
1962	April 21,
1963	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative
(16)	[[File:William Ross Macdonald.jpg	118x118px]]	William Ross Macdonald
Senator for Brantford, Ontario
(1891–1976)	April 22,
1963	February 2,
1964	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Lester B. Pearson
(19th)
20		John Joseph Connolly
Senator for Ottawa West, Ontario
(1906–1982)	February 3,
1964	April 20,
1968	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
21	[[File:Paul Martin Sr Portrait 1943 (cropped).jpg	107x107px]]	Windsor-Walkerville, Ontario]]
(1903–1992)	April 20,
1968	August 7,
1974	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Pierre Trudeau
(20th)
22		Ray Perrault
Senator for North Shore-Burnaby, British Columbia
(1926–2008)	August 8,
1974	June 3,
1979	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
23		Jacques Flynn
Senator for Rougemont, Quebec
(1915–2000)	June 4,
1979	March 2,
1980	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative	Joe Clark
(21st)
(22)		Ray Perrault
Senator for North Shore-Burnaby, British Columbia
(1926–2008)	March 3,
1980	September 29,
1982	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Pierre Trudeau
(22nd)
24	[[File:Horace Andrew Olson.jpg	118x118px]]	Bud Olson
Senator for Alberta South, Alberta
(1925–2002)	September 30,
1982	June 29,
1984	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
25	[[File:Allan MacEachen.jpg	122x122px]]	Allan MacEachen
Senator for Highlands-Canso, Nova Scotia
(1921–2017)	June 30,
1984	September 16,
1984	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	John Turner
(23rd)
26		Dufferin Roblin
Senator for Red River, Manitoba
(1917–2010)	September 17,
1984	June 29,
1986	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative	Brian Mulroney
(24th)
27		Lowell Murray
Senator for Pakenham, Ontario
(born 1936)	June 30,
1986	November 3,
1993	CA	PC}}; "		Progressive Conservative
Kim Campbell
(25th)
28		Joyce Fairbairn
Senator for Lethbridge, Alberta
(1939–2022)	November 4,
1993	June 10,
1997	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Jean Chrétien
(26th)
29		Alasdair Graham
Senator for The Highlands, Nova Scotia
(1929–2015)	June 11,
1997	October 3,
1999	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
30		Bernie Boudreau
Senator for Nova Scotia
(born 1944)	October 4,
1999	January 8,
2001	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
31		Sharon Carstairs
Senator for Manitoba
(born 1942)	January 9,
2001	December 11,
2003	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal
32	[[File:Jacob (Jack) Austin (32966418230).jpg	120x120px]]	Jack Austin
Senator for Vancouver South, British Columbia
(born 1932)	December 12,
2003	February 6,
2006	CA	Liberal}}; "		Liberal	Paul Martin
(27th)
33	[[File:Marjory LeBreton.jpg	98x98px]]	Marjory LeBreton
Senator for Ontario
(born 1940)	February 6,
2006	July 14,
2013	CA	Conservative}}; "		Conservative	Stephen Harper
(28th)
34		Mille Isles, Quebec]]
(born 1964)	August 20,
2013	November 3,
2015	CA	Conservative}}; "		Conservative
35		Peter Harder
Senator for Ottawa, Ontario
(born 1952)	March 18,
2016	December 31,
2019	CA	Independent}}; "		Non-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.	Justin Trudeau
(29)
36		date=January 24, 2020	title=Trudeau appoints constitutional lawyer Marc Gold as government leader in the Senate	work=CBC News	url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-picks-marc-gold-1.5439110	access-date=January 24, 2020}}
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(born 1950)	January 24,
2020	June 30,
2025	CA	Independent}}; "		Non-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.
37		Pierre Moreau
Senator for The Laurentides, Quebec
(born 1957)	July 18,
2025	present	CA	Independent}}; "		Non-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.	Mark Carney
(30th)

Notes

References

(25 January 2019). "Senate of Canada - About the Senate".
"Indemnities, Salaries and Allowances". Parliament of Canada.
[https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/08/4-issues-hanging-on-justin-trudeaus-senate-decisions.html "4 issues hanging on Justin Trudeau’s plans for the Senate"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', November 8, 2015.
(March 18, 2016). "Justin Trudeau names seven new senators". Toronto Star.
[https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/12/03/liberals-set-up-panel-to-choose-new-non-partisan-senators.html "Liberals set up non-partisan, merit-based process for choosing new senators"]. ''[[Toronto Star]]'', December 3, 2015.
(29 November 2019). "The Prime Minister announces changes to the Senate leadership". Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
(24 January 2020). "The Prime Minister announces new Government Representative in the Senate". Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
(January 24, 2020). "Trudeau appoints constitutional lawyer Marc Gold as government leader in the Senate". CBC News.

Wikipedia Source

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