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Report of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments – August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A2

June 12, 2023

Dear Prime Minister,

Pursuant to our Terms of Reference, the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments submits to you this report on our work for the period of August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. We thank you for your continued confidence and for the opportunity to support such an important process.

Respectfully,


Signature of Huguette Labelle, Chairperson

Huguette Labelle, Chairperson
Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments


  • Federal members
    Melissa Blake
    François Rolland
  • Nova Scotia
    Heidi Jamieson-Mills
    Connie Sparks
  • New Brunswick
    Ann McCain Evans
    Donald J. Savoie
  • Prince Edward Island
    Scott Annear
    Sue Fraser
  • Newfoundland and  Labrador
    Joy Buckle
    Gerry Glavine

1. Introduction

This report has been prepared pursuant to paragraph 13 (See Annex A) of the Terms of Reference for the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (the Advisory Board), which states:

This is the Advisory Board’s seventh report, which covers the period from August 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. The Advisory Board’s previous reports are available on our website.

2. Establishment of the Advisory Board

The Advisory Board is an independent and non-partisan body whose mandate is to provide non‑binding merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate nominations. It was established by the Governor in Council (GIC) on January 19, 2016 (Order in Council PC 2016-0011). The Terms of Reference for the Advisory Board (See Annex A) were also approved by the GIC and made public through the same Order in Council. Members of the Advisory Board are appointed pursuant to paragraph 127.1(1)(c) of the Public Service Employment Act as special advisers to the Prime Minister.

The Advisory Board consists of three federal members, one of whom is appointed as Chairperson, and two members chosen from each of the provinces/territories where a vacancy is to be filled. The federal members participate in deliberations related to all vacancies, whereas the provincial/territorial members participate only in deliberations related to vacancies in their respective province/territory.

The following table indicates when Advisory Board members were appointed by the GIC for work completed during the period covered in this report.

Member Appointment date and duration
Huguette Labelle (Chairperson),
Melissa Blake (federal) and
François Rolland (federal)		 August 5, 2022 (two years)

Ann McCain Evans and
Donald J. Savoie (New Brunswick)

Joy Buckle and
Gerry Glavine (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Heidi Jamieson-Mills and
Connie Sparks (Nova Scotia)

Scott Annear and 
Sue Fraser (Prince Edward Island)

 August 5, 2022 (one year)

Additional information on the establishment of the Advisory Board and the previous cycles can be found on our website. Biographical notes for members involved during the period covered in this report can be found in Annex B.

3. Application process

Since 2018, Canadians have been able to apply for a Senate appointment at any time, regardless of vacancy status in the Senate or in the Advisory Board for their province or territory. We consider applications received over the past two years, including nominations that individuals or organizations submit through a form on our website.

As with every cycle since the summer of 2016, Canadians had the opportunity to apply directly for an appointment to the Senate through the Senate Appointments Self-Serve system. Applicants who had submitted an application package in the preceding two years were not required to submit a new application. However, they could update any of their documents and those updates were considered by the Advisory Board if received in time for our review. We had planned on starting our application assessments in October 2022. However, in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, we decided to give Atlantic Canadians more time to apply and started reviewing applications in November 2022 instead.

4. Number of applications and diversity

The Advisory Board assessed 243 applications during the period covered in this report. The data below includes diversity information that candidates self-identified in their profile, including women, Indigenous Peoples, minority groups, persons with disabilities and proficiency in official languages.

This image presents data for the distribution of candidacies in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Text version - Applicant Distribution
Applicant Distribution
Province Total number of applications assessed Group
Women Ethnic/cultural groups Visible minorities Persons with disabilities 2SLGBTQI+ persons Indigenous peoples Francophones Fluent or functional bilingualism Limited Unilingual Not specified
First Nations Métis Inuit Other Indigenous Fluent Functional
Newfoundland and Labrador 29 41% (12) 14% (4) 3% (1) 10% (3) 3% (1) 10% (3) - 7% (2) - 7% (2) 14% (4) 10% (3) 34% (10) 24% (7) 17% (5)
Prince Edward Island 50 58% (29) 12% (6) 8% (4) 10% (5) - 4% (2) - - - 8% (4) 14% (7) 12% (6) 26% (13) 16% (8) 32% (16)
Nova Scotia 78 49% (38) 24% (19) 18% (14) 15% (12) 9% (7) 8% (6) 4% (3) - 1% (1) 9% (7) 13% (10) 22% (17) 31% (24) 21% (16) 14% (11)
New Brunswick 86 40% (34) 17% (15) 10% (9) 13% (11) 1% (1) 1% (1) 3% (3) - - 33% (28) 45% (39) 22% (19) 22% (19) 7% (6) 3% (3)

5. Outreach

In October 2022, the Advisory Board engaged with nearly 600 regional, provincial and local organizations across the Atlantic provinces to share information about the appointment process broadly among Atlantic Canadians. Organizations were invited to reach out to their members and networks to identify high-calibre candidates who met the assessment criteria and encourage them to apply. The Advisory Board also reached out to candidates in targeted provinces at the same time to encourage them to reapply or update their application as needed.

6. Meetings of the Advisory Board

Over the course of the period covered in this report, the Advisory Board met virtually as required to establish its lists of recommendations for the Prime Minister. As noted in the Terms of Reference, the Advisory Board is supported by the Privy Council Office (PCO), and the head of the Senior Personnel Secretariat (or her delegate) acts as the ex officio secretary to the Advisory Board.

7. Review process

Members of the Advisory Board conducted a comprehensive review of the applications submitted for their consideration. The assessment criteria were used as the foundation for the application review. The Advisory Board also considered the demographics in the Senate, as well as professional backgrounds that are less present in the Senate and could be useful to complement the experience and expertise of sitting Senators. At all times, members aimed to observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity, objectivity and confidentiality in their consideration of the candidates.

Federal members reviewed all applications, while the provincial members reviewed only those that were received for their province. Once the members completed their individual reviews, the provincial advisory boards convened to undertake their deliberations. This was consistent with the approach used for previous cycles. The meetings concluded with a list of recommendations for the Prime Minister, and decisions were reached using a consensus approach.

The recommended candidates were subject to the due diligence required for those seeking public office to confirm their suitability.

8. Recommendation process

The Advisory Board established a list of qualified candidates for each of the targeted vacancies in the timeframe requested for submitting recommendations. The Prime Minister was given a file that included the list of recommended candidates in alphabetical order (i.e. without ranking or prioritization). The dossier included a synopsis to highlight the merits of each of the recommended candidates, as well as the application documents provided by the candidates.

9. Costs

In all cycles, the Advisory Board made efforts to minimize expenses. Further to our previous report, we are pleased to provide the final costs for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Period covered Total expenses Advisory Board salariesFootnote 1 PCO Secretariat salaries and operational costs
April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 $465,475 $80,860 $384,615

In accordance with the Terms of Reference for the Advisory Board, the costs outlined in this report relate to the Advisory Board’s activities. Additional costs incurred by PCO are part of PCO’s operations and are reported through the department’s reporting to Parliament.

10. Confidentiality

In keeping with the Terms of Reference, the Advisory Board’s activities were conducted with strict confidentiality. Information that was brought before the members was held in confidence and information on candidacies was not disclosed, pursuant to the provisions of the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. Therefore, the Advisory Board has not and will not publicly share any information about candidates.

11. Conclusion

The Advisory Board members appreciate the opportunity to serve their country on such an important initiative.

Annex A: Terms of Reference for the Advisory Board

Mandate

1 The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments ("Advisory Board") is an independent and non-partisan body whose mandate is to provide non-binding merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate nominations.

Composition of the Advisory Board

  1. 2 (1) Members of the Advisory Board are appointed pursuant to paragraph 127.1‍(1)‍(c) of the Public Service Employment Act as special advisers to the Prime Minister.
  2. (2) The Advisory Board is to consist of:
    1. (a) three permanent federal members ("federal members"), one of which is to be appointed as Chairperson; and
    2. (b) two ad hoc members chosen from each of the provinces or territories where a vacancy is to be filled ("provincial members").
  3. (3) The federal members must participate in deliberations relating to all existing and anticipated Senate vacancies.
  4. (4) The provincial members must participate only in deliberations relating to existing and anticipated Senate vacancies in their respective province or territory.

Length of Advisory Board Terms

  1. 3 (1) The federal members of the Advisory Board are to be appointed for two-year terms. Provincial members are to be appointed for terms not exceeding one year.
  2. (2) Despite subsection (1), the initial appointments of the federal members will vary in length in order to permit the staggering of terms, as follows:
    1. (a) the term of the first Chairperson is 30 months;
    2. (b) the terms of each of the first two other federal members are 24 months and 18 months respectively.
  3. (3) The terms of Advisory Board members may be renewed.
  4. (4) The Advisory Board is to be convened at the discretion and on the request of the Prime Minister who may establish, revise or extend any of the timelines set out in this mandate.

Support

4 The Advisory Board is to be supported by the Privy Council Office. The head of the Senior Personnel Secretariat, or his or her delegate, acts as an ex officio secretary to the Advisory Board.

Recommendations

5 In accordance with the terms of this mandate, the Advisory Board must provide to the Prime Minister for his consideration, within the time period set by the Prime Minister upon the convening of the Advisory Board, a list of five qualified candidates for each vacancy in the Senate with respect to each province or territory for which there is a vacancy or anticipated vacancy and for which the Advisory Board has been convened. The Prime Minister may take into consideration all of the qualified candidates with respect to all vacancies for that province or territory.

Recommendation Process

  1. 6 The members of the Advisory Board must:
    1. (a) at all times, observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in their consideration of all potential candidates;
    2. (b) meet at appropriate intervals to set out its agenda, assess candidates, and engage in deliberations;
    3. (c) apply fairly and with consistency the criteria provided by the Prime Minister in assessing whether potential candidates meet the qualifications, including those set out in the Constitution Act, 1867, for Senate appointments;
    4. (d) interview potential candidates, at the Advisory Board's discretion, and verify any references provided by potential candidates;
    5. (e) in establishing a list of qualified candidates, seek to support the Government of Canada's intent to achieve gender balance and to ensure representation of Indigenous peoples and linguistic, minority and ethnic communities in the Senate; and
    6. (f) comply with the Privacy Act, the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethical and Political Activity Guidelines for Public Office Holders.
  2. 7 (1) The members of the Advisory Board must declare any direct or indirect personal interest or professional or business relationship in relation to any candidate if such an interest or relationship could reasonably be considered to represent an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
  3. (2) The declaration set out in subsection (1) must include a statement as to any gifts or hospitality received by the member from the candidate.
  4. (3) If such a declaration is made, the Advisory Board must decide, having regard to the nature of the relationship, if the member must withdraw from any deliberation about the candidate.
  5. (4) If the Advisory Board decides that the member must withdraw from any deliberation in relation to a candidate, those deliberations are undertaken by the remaining members of the Advisory Board, provided the number of members is not less than three.

Consultations

  1. 8 (1) In this mandate, "transitional process" means the initial recommendations to be made by the Advisory Board in early 2016 for the appointment of five Senators in order to fill two vacancies in Ontario, one in Quebec and two in Manitoba.
  2. (2) Under the transitional process, the Advisory Board must undertake consultations, which could include groups which represent Indigenous peoples and linguistic, minority and ethnic communities, provincial, territorial and municipal organizations, labour organizations, community-based service groups, arts councils, and provincial or territorial chambers of commerce, in order to ensure that a diverse slate of individuals, with a variety of backgrounds, skills, knowledge and experience desirable for a well-functioning Senate are brought forward for the consideration of the Advisory Board.
  3. 9 Subsequent to the transitional process, an open application process is to be established to allow Canadians to apply for appointment to the Senate.
  4. 10 Advisory Board members may travel for the purpose of performing their functions, including for meeting with candidates and individuals or groups as part of their consultations.

Confidentiality

  1. 11 (1) All personal information provided to, and deliberations of, the Advisory Board are confidential and must be treated in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act.
  2. (2) Any records created or received by the Advisory Board members that are under the control or will be under the control of the Privy Council Office are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
  3. (3) The members of the Advisory Board must maintain as confidential any information brought before them in the conduct of their work.
  4. (4) Members of the Advisory Board must sign a confidentiality agreement as a precondition of their appointment.
  5. 12 No candidate is to be named publicly without their prior written consent.

Reporting

  1. 13 (1) Within three months after submitting the names of qualified candidates to the Prime Minister, under the transitional process and following each subsequent appointment process, the Advisory Board must provide a report, in both official languages, to the Prime Minister that contains information on the process, including on the execution of the terms of reference, the costs relating to the Advisory Board's activities and statistics relating to the applications received.
  2. (2) In addition, the report may provide recommendations for improvements to the process.
  3. (3) The report must be made public.

Annex B: Biographical notes on the members of the Advisory Board

(Members involved during the period covered by this report)

Huguette Labelle (Chairperson)

Huguette Labelle holds a PhD (education) degree from the University of Ottawa, has honorary degrees from 12 Canadian universities, and from the University of Notre Dame, United States. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada. In addition, she is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Vanier Medal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada, the McGill University Management Achievement Award and La Francophonie’s Ordre de la Pléiade.

Ms. Labelle is Emeritus Governor of the University of Ottawa and was Chancellor of the University of Ottawa from 1994 to 2012. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation board, Chair of the International Anti-Corruption Conference Council, and board member of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Global Financial Integrity, and the Aga Khan Museum. Ms. Labelle is also a member of RESOLVE’s Natural Resources and Energy Leadership Council and Advisory Board, and the University of Ottawa Campaign Cabinet. She is also a former chair of Transparency International, as well as a former board member of UN Global Compact.

Ms. Labelle also served for 19 years as deputy minister in various Canadian government departments, including Secretary of State, Transport Canada, the Public Service Commission, and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Melissa Blake (Federal member)

Melissa Blake was elected to six consecutive terms, beginning in 1998, for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. She was first elected as mayor in October 2004 and concluded her final term in 2017.

Being the top elected official for one of Canada's largest municipalities brought with it tremendous challenges and opportunities. Wood Buffalo is the heart of Canada's energy industry and is often subject to global scrutiny. When the 2016 Horse River Wildfire forced the evacuation of 88,000 people, Mayor Blake’s strength and dedication earned the hearts and minds of Albertans, Canadians and the world. In Wood Buffalo, she worked hard to get her citizens "home".

Ms. Blake has served on numerous committees in addition to her regular council duties, including those related to development, protective services, community services and affordable housing. She has also served on two provincial associations.

Ms. Blake brought a range of experience including public affairs, materials & services and human resources to elected service from her corporate career. She holds a Bachelor of Administration degree from Athabasca University and has received numerous awards for her work.

She resides permanently in Fort McMurray, Alberta with her husband and two sons.

François Rolland (Federal member)

The Honourable François Rolland was appointed a Superior Court of Quebec justice in 1996 and Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec in 2004, a position he held until he retired in 2015.

Following his retirement, the Quebec government appointed Mr. Rolland as Director of the Voluntary Reimbursement Program, where he served until the program ended in November 2017. He also presides over private mediation and arbitration mandates, involving mostly commercial matters, including large multi-jurisdictional class actions.

Mr. Rolland, Advocatus Emeritus, is an Officer of the Order of Canada, member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), a founding member and former chair of the Judges’ Forum of the CBA, and a past president of the CBA’s Quebec Branch and of the Young Bar of Montréal. Mr. Rolland was awarded the Louis St-Laurent award for his exceptional contribution to the CBA and the CBA’s Centennial Medal.

A board member of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Mr. Rolland is also a member of the International Insolvency Institute, Chair of the Board of Directors of Éducaloi, and a Commissioner of Ethics for the Barreau du Québec. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique from 2015 to 2021 including Vice President from 2017 to 2019. He also taught ethics at the National Judicial Institute for 10 years.

The Honourable François Rolland graduated from University of Montreal in 1974 and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1975. Before his appointment as a judge, he was a partner at the law firm Fasken Martineau, practising mainly in the field of commercial and civil litigation.

In 2019, he joined Langlois lawyers as Senior Counsel, Mediator and Arbitrator.

Ann McCain Evans (member for New Brunswick)

Ann McCain Evans is a recipient of the Order of Canada in recognition of her philanthropic commitment. She has supported many innovative projects dedicated to arts and culture, health, education and the environment, at the regional, provincial and national levels. Her enduring commitment has benefited many boards, including those of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the Nature Trust of New Brunswick and Ovarian Cancer Canada. Through her leadership roles with The McCain Foundation and the Harrison McCain Foundation, she has ensured literacy and education initiatives have a lasting impact across Atlantic Canada, particularly in New Brunswick.

Ms. McCain Evans has also served on the Montreal Board of Trade, the Montreal SPCA, the Steering Committee of the Westmount Environment Action Committee, and the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. She was a director of the St. John Ambulance Foundation, Quebec Council and served on the Board of Governors at Acadia University.

She graduated with a Certificat, Langues, Littérature et Civilisation from L’Université de Grenoble in France as well as a BA in Politics and History from Trent University.

Donald J. Savoie (member for New Brunswick)

Dr. Donald J. Savoie is a leading Canadian expert on public policy, public administration and federalism. Born in New Brunswick, Dr. Savoie is a proud Acadian who has served as an advisor to several federal, provincial and territorial government departments and agencies, private-sector entities, independent associations, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, and the United Nations. He currently holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Administration and Governance at the Université de Moncton. He previously held senior positions with the federal government, including Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Board and Deputy Principal of the Canadian Centre for Management Development.

A Companion of the Order of Canada and the recipient of the Order of New Brunswick and the Order of Moncton, Dr. Savoie is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has received several awards and prizes for his work internationally, notably the Vanier Gold Medal (1999), the Trudeau Fellowships Prize (2004), the Sun Life Public Service Citation Award (2004), the prestigious 2015 Killam Prize in recognition of his exceptional career achievements in social sciences, and the 2016 Donner Prize for best Canadian book on public policy.

He obtained a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in literature from Oxford University and has been awarded eight honorary doctorates by Canadian universities. Dr. Savoie was elected a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford in 2006 and named Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics in 2007. He was also a Senior Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University in 2001-02.

A prolific author, Dr. Savoie has published more than 50 books and over 200 articles in leading journals of political science, public administration and public policy and in some of the world’s leading newspapers in Canada, the U.K., India and the United States. Averse to cynicism in politics, his extensive knowledge and his experience of great institutions have convinced him of the real possibility that they can be instrumental in furthering the welfare of individuals.

Joy Buckle (member for Newfoundland and Labrador)

Joy Buckle currently occupies the Vice President of Policy and Planning position at Sequence Bio, a biotechnology company whose mission is to discover the true signals of disease that accelerate the development of new therapeutics for unmet medical need around the globe. She offers strategic direction to help drive stakeholder engagement and policy to return benefits to communities and participants in Newfoundland and Labrador. She has more than 20 years of experience in stakeholder engagement, policy development, and leadership.

Prior to joining Sequence Bio, Ms. Buckle worked to advance the interests of the people of the province in various leadership roles; most recently as Senior Advisor of Social Policy for the Office of the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to this, she spent almost seven years as Manager of Operations at Professional Development and Conferencing Solutions at Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine that helped connect healthcare professionals as well as allow for the integration of videoconferencing into the legal system throughout the province.

Ms. Buckle holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science (Medicine) focusing on cancer research and a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University.

Gerry Glavine ((member for Newfoundland and Labrador)

Gerald “Gerry” Glavine is a retired educator with experience in the provincial public service and in business. He graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Education degree.

Since 2017, he has been vice-president of business development for Exploits Valley Air Services, a company based in Gander. Previously, he served a four year term as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation and served as Chief of Staff to Premier Brian Tobin from 1996 to 2000. He also taught junior and senior high school students for 28 years.

Mr. Glavine is a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus organization, having served as provincial membership director, state advocate and treasurer and in an international position on the Supreme Board of Directors. He also coached youth hockey and soccer for 26 years.

Connie Sparks (member for Nova Scotia)

A descendant of early Black settlers in Nova Scotia, Corrine “Connie” Sparks grew up in rural Nova Scotia and graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with an ecomonics degree. She went on to earn a Bachelor and a Master of Laws degree from Dalhousie University. After graduation with her LL.B., she practiced in a small law firm, specializing in family, real estate and civil litigation law; at this time she also served on the board of several organizations ranging from the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

In 1987, Ms. Sparks was appointed to the Nova Scotia Family Court, becoming the first African Nova Scotian to be appointed to the Bench, and the first African Canadian female to serve on the judiciary in Canada. For several years, as part of the new judges training program offered by the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges, she lectured in the area of gender and racial discrimination and the courts. She also served as chair of the Nova Scotia Provincial Judges’ Association.

Internationally, Ms. Sparks has been honoured to work with the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), along with other international organizations. Throughout her career as a Family Court judge, for nearly thirty-five years, she has helped to promote judicial education, both at the provincial and national level. Her work with the IAWJ, Canadian Chapter, in particular, in keeping with its mandate, has helped to advance equality and human rights for women. Ms. Sparks has served on the board of directors; and was one of the founding members of the IAWJ, Canadian Chapter.

Her work has earned her numerous awards and recognition including the prestigious Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service from the Schulich School of Law, the Bertha Wilson Touchstone Award from the Canadian Bar Association, the Harry Jerome African Canadian Achievement Award for Excellence in Law, and the Elizabeth Fry Society “Rebel with a Cause” Award. She was also inducted by the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association to the Bertha Wilson Honour Society, and is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, from Mount Saint Vincent University.

Heidi Jamieson-Mills (member for Nova Scotia)

Heidi Jamieson Mills is a Chartered Professional Accountant and has been employed by Sobeys Inc. since 2004, where she currently holds the position of Senior Vice President, Finance Reporting and Treasury. Prior to this, she worked for Grant Thornton LLP as an Accountant and Tax Manager.

Ms. Jamieson-Mills has served her community as Treasurer and Director of the Aberdeen Health Foundation Society since 2017. She has also been the Treasurer and Vice Chair of the Tearmann Society for Abused Women, and Director for the Highland Community Residential Services Foundation and the Race on the River, Dragonboat Society. Prior to this, she also served on several boards and groups such as the Finance Committee for the Atlantic Film Festival, the Plaid Marquee Film Society, the Pictou County Historical Society and Toastmasters Truro.

Ms. Jamieson-Mills was recognized as one of the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women (Professional Category) in 2020, as well as one of Atlantic Canada’s top 50 leaders under 35 in 2010.

She attended Dalhousie University and graduated with honours with a Bachelor of Commerce Co-op, concentration in Accounting.

Scott Annear (member for Prince Edward Island)

Scott Annear is the General Manager of Morley Annear Ltd., one of Prince Edward Island’s largest and most diversified trucking companies offering freight and cargo services throughout central and eastern Canada and the United States eastern seaboard. Founded in 1964, the company is recognized across the region for its steadfast commitment to giving back to the community and embracing new technologies to support efficient and sustainable operations.

A driving force within the province’s trucking industry for more than 30 years, Mr. Annear is recognized as an engaged and supportive leader who promotes an inclusive workforce and offers learning and employment opportunities in collaboration with Inclusions East’s Kingswood Training Centre, which provides essential training and support to persons with disabilities. His longstanding support of Inclusions East has encouraged other local businesses to take advantage of the many programs and services offered, including the popular Kingswood Centre Bakery.

Mr. Annear is an active member and contributor to a number of community organizations and initiatives. He is a recipient of the Holland College distinguished alumni award and the Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce volunteer of the year award. He has served as Chair of the Lower Montague Community Council and past president of the Montague Curling Club, and currently serves on the board of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. Mr. Annear is recognized for his substantial contributions to fundraising efforts that have brought millions of dollars back into local communities.

Sue Fraser (member for Prince Edward Island)

Sue Fraser was the General Manager of the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown until September 2022 at which time she moved to a Senior Director position with the City of Charlottetown leading on sustainability and strategic planning files. She also operates a private consulting business, SJF Collaborative, where she provides support to other jurisdictions focusing on governance and partnership development. Prior to this, she served the citizens of Charlottetown as Manager of Parks and Recreation from 1995 to 2015. Earlier in her career, she was instrumental in the development of the Special Olympics movement on Prince Edward Island, as the province’s first Executive Director for the provincial chapter of Special Olympics in the early 80s.

She has been actively involved at the national level with a number of organizations, including the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA). In 2018, she was awarded the CPRA National Award of Merit for her long-standing leadership in the Parks and Recreation sector. She has also served in volunteer leadership roles for national sport events hosted locally, including the 1991 Canada Winter Games and the 2009 Canada Summer Games. She is currently active at the senior management level with the planning and execution of the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Her community work also includes 17 years of service In Rotary where she served as President, Secretary, District Secretary and Committee member of the club’s Annual Gala Royale and was awarded the True Rotarian Award in 2013 for service above self and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Ms. Fraser also served on the board of PEI Heart and Stroke and has chaired its provincial Children’s Nutrition Committee since 2018.

Ms. Fraser is graduate of Acadia University where she completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recreation Administration. She also holds a Masters Certificate in Project Management from the York University Schulich School of Business.

Annex C: Assessment criteria

Constitutional eligibility requirements

An individual must meet the constitutional eligibility requirements at the time of appointment to the Senate.

Age

An individual must be a minimum of 30 years of age and be less than 75 years of age.

Citizenship

An individual must be a citizen of Canada.

Net Worth in Real and Personal Property

An individual must own property with a net value of $4,000 in the province for which he or she is appointed, and have an overall net worth of $4,000 in real and personal property.

In the case of Quebec, a nominee must have his or her real property qualification in the electoral division for which he or she is appointed, or be resident in that electoral division.

Residency

An individual must be a resident of the province for which he or she is appointed.

Merit-based criteria established by the Government

Non-Partisanship

Individuals must demonstrate to the Advisory Board that they have the ability to bring a perspective and contribution to the work of the Senate that is independent and non-partisan. They will also have to disclose any political involvement and activities. Past political activities would not disqualify an applicant.

Knowledge Requirement

Individuals must demonstrate a solid knowledge of the legislative process and Canada's Constitution, including the role of the Senate as an independent and complementary body of sober second thought, regional representation and minority representation.

Personal Qualities

Individuals must demonstrate outstanding personal qualities, including adhering to the principles and standards of public life, ethics, and integrity.

Individuals must demonstrate an ability to make an effective and significant contribution to the work of the Senate, not only in their chosen profession or area of expertise, but the wide range of other issues that come before the Senate.

Qualifications Related to the Role of the Senate

An individual must demonstrate one of the following criteria:

Additional considerations

Gender, Indigenous and Minority Representation

Individuals will be considered with a view to achieving gender balance in the Senate. Priority consideration will be given to applicants who represent Indigenous peoples and linguistic, minority and ethnic communities, with a view to ensuring representation of those communities in the Senate.

Bilingualism

Fluency in both official languages will be considered an asset.

Annex D: News releases

Footnotes

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