QUESTION PERIOD — Privy Council Office
Senate Appointments
December 15, 2023
Senator Gold, there has been heightened discussion over the last couple of weeks about this more independent Senate that we all work in, most recently from our colleague Senator Cormier this morning.
You were appointed as an independent senator. You are now the Government Representative in the Senate and our main interlocutor with the government. As we close out this year, could you share your perspectives on this evolving project and just give us your year-end reflections? It may not be the best time to ask you this, but it is an important question any time, so please share your thoughts.
I am pleased with and proud of the work that the Senate has done over this session. It hasn’t been an easy one. I’m not always pleased with the votes or the results, but I signed up for this gig, as I’ve said on other occasions, because I truly believe that the Senate adds value, but only if it is free from the kind of control from the centre that has characterized it in the past.
It’s a work in progress. I’m pleased with the growing understanding amongst senators of what our constitutional role is and isn’t. There is still work to be done there. It certainly took me a while, and I still remember very much those early days, months and years. But I’m pleased with the direction it’s going, and I hope we can continue to add value for Canadians, as I believe we are doing. Thank you.
Let me close this Q&A by thanking you on behalf of all of us in this place for the work that you do every day and the time and effort that you put into it. I know it takes a toll, but I want you to know that it is deeply appreciated, and we’re all grateful for it. Thank you.
