How to apply

To submit an application, we encourage you to follow the steps in the order presented below.

Please ensure that you follow the steps to the end, including designating your documents (step 8) and selecting the Submit my application button (step 9). As indicated at step 10, once you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email acknowledging the reception of your application. Also, if you select My opportunities on the sidebar menu, you should see the opportunity you applied for and the date that it was submitted. If you don’t see this, it means that you have not yet submitted your application.

Step

Action

1

Review the information in the Important information tab.

2

Prepare your application package.

A list of the required documents with an explanation as to what should be included is available in the Application package tab.

3

Create or log in to your profile.

If	Then
You already have a profile in our system (created a profile and applied after January 2021),	You may access it by going to our Opportunities page and selecting My profile on the sidebar menu. Under Returning user, enter your email address and your password. If it’s your first time logging in to our new system, you will need to select Forgot your password under Returning user. Enter the email address you were using to log in to our previous system and select Send. You will receive an email with instructions to reset your password.
You don’t have a profile in our system (new user or last applied before January 2021),	You will need to create a profile. You will find the required steps in the Create your profile tab.
You have been nominated,	A temporary profile has been created for you. You will need to complete that profile before submitting an application. You will find the required steps in the Create your profile tab.

4

Go to Opportunities on the sidebar menu and select the opportunity that is of interest to you.

You can only apply to become a Senator in your province or territory of residency.

5

Read the information about the opportunity and if you are ready to apply, select the Apply Now button.

6

Read the requirements and answer the questions.

Once you select the Continue button at the end of the questionnaire, you can’t come back and modify your answers. Also, your answers will not be saved if you don’t continue. Therefore, it is important that you complete the questionnaire and have all the required documents ready before you select the Continue button.

7

Upload the required documents.

To upload a document, select the Choose File button, find your document and select the Open button. In the File type pull down menu, select the type and select the Upload button.

The documents you have uploaded will appear under File Name. Please make sure these are the correct documents/versions before you continue.

If your document’s file name is already associated to an application, you will not be able to upload a new version. You will need to modify the document’s name. We recommend naming your documents in the following format: document type month day year. For example, CV August 15 2024 or Cover letter January 7 2023.

It is important to keep a copy of your documents as you will not be able to view or download them from our system once they are uploaded.

8

Designate the 6 required documents that you want to submit with your application by selecting the checkbox besides the name of the document.

If you also created a profile for a Governor in Council appointment, documents uploaded for those positions will only appear in that profile and not here.

9

Select the Submit my application button.

10

A confirmation page will appear and an email acknowledging the reception of your application will be sent to the email address you provided in your profile.

If you do not receive a confirmation email in your inbox, please check your junk email or spam folder. If you still cannot find the confirmation email, contact us.

About the Senate
Information about the role and the composition of the Senate, as well as what the job of Senator involves. You will also find information on current Senators, including their mandatory retirement date.

Assessment criteria
Constitutional eligibility requirements and merit-based criteria for appointment to the Senate.

Questions and answers
Answers to frequently asked questions about the Senate appointments process.

Your application package documents: e.g. cover letter, curriculum vitae, etc. must be in PDF (.pdf), Rich Text (.rtf), Text (.txt) or Word (.doc/.docx) format (See: How to convert your documents into PDF or RTF, if required).

We recommend naming your documents in the following format: type of document month day year. For example, CV August 15 2024 or Cover letter January 7 2023.

There is no need to prepare additional documents since the Advisory Board will only consider the ones listed below.

The following six documents are required to submit an application:

Curriculum vitae
Cover letter
Reference letter 1
Reference letter 2
Reference letter 3
Background check consent form

Curriculum vitae (CV)

The CV should include dates and indicate your academic qualifications and employment history. It should also indicate any professional affiliations, major achievements, distinctions and awards you have received for at least the last 10 years. The CV must be up to 1,500 words, and no attachments or other supplementary documentation are to be submitted. You may use your own CV or create one with our template.

Cover letter

Your cover letter must be up to 1,500 words and must include two sections:

a personal statement to describe how you meet the knowledge, personal qualities and qualifications related to the role of the Senate, using specific examples to highlight your skills and experience.
a non-partisanship statement to demonstrate your ability to bring a perspective and contribution to the work of the Senate that would be independent and non-partisan.

Reference letters (3)

You are required to provide three reference letters from individuals attesting to your suitability for a Senate appointment. You are encouraged to identify referees from your province or territory. The referee can provide the letter as an individual or on behalf of an organization, must have known you for a minimum of five years and cannot be a close family member.

We suggest sending the template to your referees so they know what information the Advisory Board is looking for. However, they may write their own letter. A reference letter must be up to 1000 words. Referees may be contacted during the course of the process; therefore, their contact information must be included. They should sign their letter, by hand or electronically, prior to sending it back to you.

The Advisory Board will only accept three reference letters.

Background check consent form

You must use the form provided. Other forms or background check results from other organizations will not be accepted. When preparing your Background check consent form, please note that you may complete and sign your form electronically or by hand. If you wish to complete and sign your Background check consent form by hand, please follow the instructions noted below:

start by reading the instructions at the end of the form;
ensure that all required information has been entered, including the dates in sections M and N;
print the completed form;
you and your partner (as applicable) sign the form by hand;
scan the form and save it in PDF format with low resolution to reduce the size; and
ensure that all of the content is clearly visible in the scanned file.

How to convert your documents to PDF or RTF, if required

The following instructions aim to help you convert unsupported document types so you can use them in your application.

PDF

Most word processing software contains functionality to convert documents to PDF.

Use the below link(s) corresponding to your application package document(s) format to learn how to convert to PDF:

If the above links do not help, you may be able to convert your document to PDF format using a PDF printer.

Print to PDF in Windows

The following instructions provide the steps necessary to convert a document to PDF format using a printer in Microsoft Windows:

Step	Action
1	Open the document in your word processor.
2	Select the File menu.
3	Select Print.
4	In the Printer selection field, choose your document converter (Adobe PDF, Microsoft Print to PDF, Universal Document Converter, CutePDF, etc.).
5	Specify the filename and location for your PDF file.
6	Select Save.

Note: If you are using an older version of Windows, you will likely need to install 3rd party software to convert your document.

Print to PDF in OSX

Mac OS X includes a built in PDF export functionality. Follow the steps below to convert your word processor document to PDF format on Mac OS X.

Step	Action
1	Open the document.
2	Select the File menu.
3	Select Print.
4	Select the PDF button at the bottom left corner of the Print window.
5	Select the Save as PDF… option.
6	Specify the filename and location for your PDF file.
7	Select Save.

RTF

To save a file in Rich Text Format you will need:

a word processor (WordPerfect, Wordpad, Pages, etc.); and
your document.

To convert a document to RTF:

Step	Action
1	Open the document in your word processor.
2	Select the File menu.
3	Select Save As.
4	Choose Rich Text Format from the dropdown menu in the Save as type field.
5	Specify the filename and location for your RTF file.
6	Select Save.

If you already have a profile in our system, you may access it by going to our Opportunities page and selecting My profile on the sidebar menu. Under Returning user, enter your email address and your password.

If you have been nominated, the system has created a temporary profile for you. To access it, please follow the steps below, under If you have been nominated.

To create a profile

Step	Action
1	Make sure your Curriculum Vitae (CV) is ready to be uploaded. If you did not already, we encourage you to go to the Application package tab to find out what should be included in your CV.
2	Go to our Opportunities page and select My profile on the sidebar menu.
3	Under New applicant?, enter your email address and select the Create Profile button.
4	Upload your CV by selecting the Choose File button, find your CV and select the Open button. In the File type pull down menu, select Curriculum Vitae, indicate that you want your CV to be searchable and select the Upload button. When the document is uploaded, you will get a confirmation message and the name of your document will appear under File name. Select the Save & Continue button.
5	Complete the Create profile form. All fields marked with an * are required. Be sure to note your email address and password for future reference. The password is case sensitive.
6	Select the Save & Continue button at the bottom of the page. Your profile has now been created and you are logged in. You will receive an email confirming that your profile has been created.

If you have been nominated

Step	Action
1	To log in to your temporary profile, go to our Opportunities page and select My profile on the sidebar menu.
2	Select Forgot your password under Returning user. Enter the email address your nominator used for you (you will be able to change that email address if you wish once you have created your profile). Select the Send button. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. Select that link, enter the required information and select Change Password. Be sure to note your email address and password for future reference. The password is case sensitive.
3	Go to My Profile, under Returning user, enter your email address and password. Select Login.
4	Complete the Create profile form. All fields marked with an * are required.
5	Select the Save my profile button at the bottom of the page. Your profile has now been created and you are logged in.

Your application is valid for a two-year period starting on the day it was submitted. At any time during this period, you may update your profile information and your supporting documents. Please note, however, that if there is an application review date for the opportunity you applied for, your updated documents may not be considered if the update takes place after the review date.

You can also withdraw your application at any time before the expiry date.

Updating your profile or your documents does not impact your two-year expiry date.

To update your profile information:

Step	Action
1	Go to our Opportunities page and select My profile on the sidebar menu.
2	Log in to your profile.
3	Update your information.
4	Select the Save my profile button at the bottom of the page. On top, you will see a message confirming that you have successfully saved your profile.

To update previously submitted application documents:

Step	Action
1	Update your document(s) as needed and save them on your computer with a different file name. We recommend naming your documents in the following format: document type month day year. For example, CV August 15 2024 or Cover letter January 7 2023.
2	Go to our Opportunities page and select My profile on the sidebar menu.
3	Log in to your profile.
4	Select My opportunities on the sidebar menu.
5	Select the icon under Attachments (document and magnifying glass). Documents designated to that specific application appear with a checkmark next to their File name.
6	Upload your new document by selecting the Choose file button, finding your document and selecting the Open button. Choose the File type and select the Upload button. Your new document has now been added to the list.
7	Designate your new document by selecting the check box beside your document, remove the checkmark beside the previous document, ensure you have checkmarks next to the six required documents, and select the Save document designation button. It is not mandatory to delete older documents since the only ones that will be considered by the Advisory Board are the ones that are associated to your application (with checkmarks).
8	If your previous document is not associated to an application, you will be able to delete it by selecting the Delete button at the end of the row. A warning page will open and you will need to select Delete once more to confirm. It is not necessary to check or un-check the boxes next to their File name to delete them. If your previous document is associated to an expired application, you will not be able to delete it by yourself. Although it is not necessary, if you want us to delete it, please send us an email specifying the document name you wish to delete.

It is possible to upload your new document by going in My documents instead of My opportunities. However, you will need to go in My opportunities to designate this new document to the opportunity of interest.

To withdraw an active (not expired) application:

If you are still interested in a senator position, do not withdraw your application. If your application is still active, you may update your profile and your documents at any time during the 2-year retention period. If your application has expired, you must submit a new application and there is no need to withdraw the previous application.

Step	Action
1	Go to our Opportunities page and select My profile on the sidebar menu.
2	Log in to your profile.
3	Select My opportunities on the sidebar menu. Find the opportunity you wish to withdraw. You can’t withdraw an expired application.
4	Select the Withdraw (garbage can) icon under Withdraw. You need to confirm your wish to withdraw.
5	Select the Yes button. A dropdown menu displays below the confirmation and asks you to select your withdraw reason.
6	Select your withdraw reason and select the Withdraw application button. A green success message displays at the top of the page. Your profile will remain active, but your application will be withdrawn from the selection process.

If you withdrew your application and would like to re-apply, you will need to contact us to reverse the withdrawal.

Language selection

Search