Minister LeBlanc announces appointments to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments

Ottawa, March 7, 2022 – The Government of Canada believes in effective and inclusive representation in the Senate. The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (Independent Advisory Board) plays an important role in ensuring this representation by providing the Prime Minister with non-binding, non-partisan, merit-based recommendations for Senate appointments that meet a high standard of integrity.

Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced eight appointments to the Independent Advisory Board for one-year renewable terms.

The newly appointed members of the Independent Advisory Board are:

• Ms. Kathryn Berge as provincial member for British Columbia – advocate, arbitrator and mediator with the Queen’s Counsel designation.
• Ms. Linda Locke as provincial member for British Columbia – manager of the Hazelton-based Upper Skeena Counselling and Legal Assistance Society, and first Indigenous woman in British Columbia to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel.
• Mr. David Chartrand as provincial member for Manitoba – President and CEO of the Manitoba Metis Federation Government and member of the Order of Manitoba.
• Ms. Ashleigh Everett as provincial member for Manitoba – President, Corporate Secretary and a director of Royal Canadian Securities Limited.

The re-appointed members of the Independent Advisory Board are:

• Mr. Riel Bellegarde as provincial member for Saskatchewan – President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.
• Dr. Greg Poelzer as provincial member for Saskatchewan – researcher, writer, lead of the Renewable Energy in Remote and Indigenous Communities program and professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan.
• Mr. Anthony Primerano as provincial member for Ontario – active community and business leader with over 20 years of experience assuring strategic successes in the private and public sectors.
• Mr. Murray Segal as provincial member for Ontario – independent legal counsel and consultant, and former deputy attorney general of Ontario.

Senate recommendations are made based on established assessment criteria. Canadians are encouraged to apply, if they are eligible, or nominate qualified individuals year-round for membership in the Senate. Applications are retained for two years, and qualified candidates are encouraged to re-apply.