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National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
FIRST READING: Here's why three Senators crossed the floor to the Conservatives
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Article content TOP STORY Article content The Senate, not normally a hub of political intrigue, has recently witnessed a sudden tide of defections to the Conservative caucus. So far this month, three Senators — two of whom were appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — have announced that they will henceforth be sitting as Conservatives. Article content It's been an unexpected reprieve for a caucus that was increasingly lurching towards extinction. As of this writing, 85 of 105 Canadian Senators were appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Before the recent floor-crossings, one third of the 11 remaining Tories were set to reach mandatory retirement age within the next two years. Article content Article content As to why this is happening, the new Tory senators all cited different reasons, ranging from a generalized horror with regards to the state of the country, to a desire to 'build bridges' on Indigenous reconciliation. Article content Mary Jane McCallum, a veteran dentist and member of the Barren Lands First Nation in Manitoba, is the only member of the Senate to have been sent to an Indian residential school. From age 5 to 16, she attended Guy Hill Residential School. In Senate testimony, she has described her main emotions during that period as 'overwhelming loneliness' and a 'bewildering feeling of abandonment.' Article content Indigenous issues and reconciliation have come up often in her Senate work. In just the last couple of weeks, McCallum tabled legislation that would bind the RCMP to follow 'First Nations laws,' and another bill that would allow the prosecution of First Nations laws by Crown lawyers. On June 3, she said she would be asking for a Senate probe into whether Canada's treatment of Indigenous people constituted 'a crime against humanity and a genocide.' Article content As to why McCallum decided to join the Conservative caucus, in a Tuesday statement she framed it as a way towards 'building bridges.' Article content 'Our communities have long sought opportunities for greater collaboration and mutual understanding,' she said. 'By joining the Senate Conservative Caucus I hope to help broaden the conversation and ensure Indigenous perspectives are reflected across the full political spectrum.' Article content Article content BREAKING 🚨 DERNIÈRE HEURE Senator Mary Jane McCallum Joins Senate Conservative Caucus La sénatrice Mary Jane McCallum rejoint le caucus conservateur au Sénat — Senator Leo Housakos (@SenatorHousakos) June 10, 2025 Article content David Richards Article content Article content A novelist and playwright before he was appointed to the Senate by Trudeau in 2017, David Richards has been a vocal critic of the Liberal government for some time now. Article content This was most notable in 2023, when Richards delivered a scathing critique of the Online Streaming Act, the bill that gave broad powers to the CRTC to impose content quotas on streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix. 'I think it's censorship passing as national inclusion,' he said in a Senate soliloquy that mentioned George Orwell, Cicero, the East German Stasi and the censorship regime of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Article content 'I think, overall, we have lately become a land of scapegoaters and finger pointers, offering accusations and shame while believing we are a woke society,' he said, concluding 'this law will be one of scapegoating all those who do not fit into what our bureaucrats think Canada should be.' Article content Richards' first Senate statements since the reopening of Parliament have stuck to the same general themes. On June 5, he asked Marc Gold, the government's representative in the Senate, if he could 'admit that much of the policy that the former government promoted in this chamber has bled in many ways into the horrible calamities that this country finds itself in today?'
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Another Trudeau-appointed senator joins Conservative caucus
Sen. Mary Jane McCallum of Manitoba is now part of the Conservatives' Senate caucus — making her the second senator appointed by former prime minister Justin Trudeau to join the party this month. McCallum, who is Cree and a member of the Barren Lands First Nation, said she made the decision to join the Conservatives after consulting with chiefs and community leaders. "I feel strongly that this is a crucial step in building bridges," she said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our communities have long sought opportunities for greater collaboration and mutual understanding. By joining the Senate Conservative caucus, I hope to help broaden the conversation and ensure Indigenous perspectives are reflected across the full political spectrum." McCallum was appointed to the upper chamber in 2017 by Trudeau. She is the second senator appointed by the Liberal prime minister to join the Conservatives this month. New Brunswick Sen. David Richards joined the Conservative fold last week. McCallum and Richards — who both had been sitting as non-affiliated senators — join the Conservative caucus as its numbers have been dwindling in recent years. With the addition of McCallum, the Conservatives now have 13 members in the red chamber. But the Conservatives are still the smallest group in the Senate. The current standings in the Senate now sit at 46 senators in the Independent Senators Group, 21 in the Canadian Senators Group, 18 in the Progressive Senate Group and six non-affiliated senators, with one seat left to fill. Canadian senators must retire when they turn 75, which means that already small caucus will shrink later this year when Conservative Quebec Sen. Judith Seidman retires in September and Richards retires the following month. Newfoundland and Labrador Conservative Sen. Elizabeth Marshall is slated to retire in September of next year and Ontario Sen. Salma Ataullahjan's retirement date is set for April 2027. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Sen. Leo Housakos, said McCallum is a "principled leader and a tireless advocate for Canada's Indigenous communities." "Her expertise and unique perspective will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the Senate's role as a forum for open debate, diversity of thought, rigorous accountability and meaningful dialogue reflective of all Canadians," Housakos said in a statement on Tuesday. CBC News asked Housakos's office if the Conservatives have been actively trying to recruit senators. "We believe that having a diverse and growing membership is vital to ensuring the health and effectiveness of the Opposition in the Senate. A strong Opposition is essential to upholding the Senate's role as a chamber of sober second thought," a statement from his office said in response.
