Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his first Senate appointments, naming his principal secretary, Thomas Pitfield, and Conservative MP Richard Martel to the upper chamber.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced the appointments on July 7 while Carney was attending the NATO Summit in Turkey.
Pitfield and Martel have been named senators for the province of Quebec. Two other senators will also be appointed, including physician Dr. Rodney Ouellette for New Brunswick and corporate executive Geeta Tucker for Manitoba.
Along with naming new senators, the PMO said the government is changing the appointment process, removing the requirement for candidates to be non-partisan.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed Liberal senators from the national Liberal caucus in 2014, after becoming Liberal leader in 2013, and created a new appointment process through an independent advisory board for Senate appointments in 2016 after becoming prime minister.
The objective was to make the upper chamber less partisan, although many of Trudeau’s Senate appointments had ties to the Liberal Party.
The PMO said the decision to allow partisan appointments “recognises the valuable contributions made by Canadians who have chosen to serve in elected office or in other partisan roles, including knowledge of the governing and legislative processes, which will contribute to a stronger, more effective Senate.”
Other changes to the appointment process have not been detailed but are said to include “expanding the criteria for new applicants,” along with focusing on recruiting candidates with expertise in “Canadian strategic industries, regulatory frameworks, and emerging social and economic affairs.”
Pitfield, a long-time Liberal Party campaign strategist, was appointed as Carney’s principal secretary on March 14, 2025, the day Carney took office. He is slated to leave the role on July 13.
Pitfield’s late father, Michael Pitfield, was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1982 and served until 2010. His wife is Liberal MP Anna Gainey, who serves as secretary of state for children and youth.
Martel was the MP for the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord until July 7. He was first elected to the House of Commons in a byelection in 2018. Before entering politics, Martel worked as a teacher and served as head coach and director general in Quebec’s major junior hockey league.
Martel had retained his caucus role as shadow minister for sport during the late June shuffle by Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“I’m leaving my role as an MP with a lot of gratitude and pride for the work accomplished,” Martel said in a statement to The Epoch Times in French. “This nomination will allow me to continue my involvement differently and to continue to contribute to important files for our region, for Quebec, and Canada.”
In the statement, he thanked his constituents and his team. He did not mention his party nor his fellow MPs. Media reports indicate Martel left the Tory caucus and will sit as an independent.
The Epoch Times reached out to Martel’s office and to the Conservative Party for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
Poilievre congratulated Martel on his appointment. “I hope he will continue the fight for affordability, growing paycheques, and safe streets in the Upper Chamber,” he said in an X post.
Sen. Leo Housakos, the Conservative opposition leader in the Senate, welcomed the future members of the Upper Chamber on July 7. He said he was “especially pleased to welcome my friend and longtime caucus colleague, Richard Martel.”
Martel’s departure from the House of Commons represents the fifth Tory MP to break ranks since November of last year. Others crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party.
The Senate has 105 seats, of which 95 are currently filled. Of the 95 sitting senators, 80 have been appointed by Justin Trudeau, 13 by Stephen Harper, and two by Jean Chrétien.
The recent nominations will leave 99 seats occupied.
The PMO said five more vacancies are expected before the end of 2026 and a new Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments will be established to fill them.
