The representative of the Government in the Senate () is the member of the Senate of Canada who is responsible for introducing, promoting, and defending the government's bills in the Senate after they are passed by the House of Commons. The representative is appointed by the prime minister.
The position replaced the leader of the Government in the Senate (), which from 1867 to 2015 was a senator who was a member of the governing party and led the government caucus in the Senate of Canada (whether or not that party held a majority in the Senate). The position of Leader had almost always been held by a Cabinet minister, except briefly in 1926, from 1958 to 1963 and from 2013 to the position being discontinued in 2015.
The government representative's counterpart on the Opposition benches is the leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who continues to be a member of the Official Opposition political party.
Senator Pierre Moreau has served as the third and most recent representative of the Government in the Senate since July 18, 2025.
History
As Leader of the Government Early Canadian cabinets included several senators who would be answerable to the Senate for government actions, one of whom would serve as de facto government leader in the Senate. In the nineteenth century, it was not considered unusual for a senator to be Prime Minister. Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott and Sir Mackenzie Bowell served as prime minister from the Senate. Abbott and Bowell both found it difficult to lead the government from the Senate, however, and over time, the perceived legitimacy of the Senate declined. Today, it is rare for senators to occupy prominent positions in cabinet. From 1935 on, it was typical for a cabinet to have only one senator who would have the position of minister without portfolio alongside the position of leader of the government in the Senate.
There have been a few rare occasions when the leader of the government in the Senate was not included in the cabinet by virtue of a separate ministerial appointment, such as William Benjamin Ross who served in the position in 1926, and Walter Morley Aseltine and Alfred Johnson Brooks who were not included in the cabinets of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker from 1958-1963. In 1968, the position of leader of the government in the Senate became an official Cabinet position in its own right with the appointment of Paul Martin, Sr. (father of Canada's future prime minister, Paul Martin). From July 2013, under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the government leader in the Senate was again a non-cabinet minister.
Occasionally, senators still hold senior cabinet positions (other than the leader of the government in the Senate) in order to ensure regional balance in cabinet if the governing party is unable to elect members in a particular region or province, e.g., when the Progressive Conservative Party formed the government under the leadership of Joe Clark in 1979, and when the Liberal Party formed the government under the leadership of Pierre Trudeau in 1980. However, it is usually the case that the leader of the government in the Senate is the sole senator serving in Cabinet.
The responsibilities of the leader of the government in the Senate include:
Planning and managing the government's legislative program in the Senate Answering all questions for the government during the Senate's Question Period Maintaining relations with the opposition on all matters concerning Senate activities Working with the leader of the Government in the House of Commons to ensure the effective coordination of the government's legislative programme.
The government side in the Senate is the party that forms the government in the House of Commons. This means that the government party in the Senate may have fewer seats than the opposition, particularly when a general election results in a new party forming government.
As Representative of the Government Due to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2014 decision to remove senators from the Liberal Party of Canada caucus, leaving them all effectively sitting as independent senators, Trudeau named a Representative of the Government in the Senate in the 42nd Canadian Parliament rather than a government leader."4 issues hanging on Justin Trudeau’s plans for the Senate". Toronto Star, November 8, 2015. The situation created some uncertainty about how the Senate would function, and how government legislation would be brought to the Senate. Retired civil servant Peter Harder was named to the position on March 18, 2016."Liberals set up non-partisan, merit-based process for choosing new senators". Toronto Star, December 3, 2015.
On November 29, 2019, the Prime Minister's office announced that Senator Harder would be stepping down from his position as Representative of the Government in the Senate effective December 31, 2019. It was also announced that Senator Grant Mitchell would retire as Government Liaison in the Senate but would continue until a replacement for Harder was named in "due course." On January 24, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Senator Marc Gold had agreed to become the new Government Representative in the Senate, sitting as a non-affiliated senator and would also be sworn in as a Privy Councillor. Gold served from January 24, 2020 until June 30, 2025, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Office holders Key:
No. Portrait Name Term of officePartyPrime ministerLeader of the Government in the Senate1Alexander CampbellSenator for Cataraqui, Ontario(1822–1892)July 1,1867November 5,1873Liberal-ConservativeSir John A. Macdonald(1st)2Luc Letellier de St-JustSenator for Grandville, Quebec(1820–1881)November 5,1873December 14,1876LiberalAlexander Mackenzie(2nd)3Richard William ScottSenator for Ottawa, Ontario(1825–1913)December 14,1876October 7,1878Liberal(1)Sir Alexander CampbellSenator for Cataraqui, Ontario(1822–1892)October 18,1878February 7,1887ConservativeSir John A. Macdonald(3rd)4Sir John AbbottSenator for Inkerman, Quebec(1821–1893)May 12,1887June 6,1891ConservativeJune 16,1891October 30,1893Sir John Abbott(4th)5Sir Mackenzie BowellSenator for Hastings, Ontario(1823–1917)October 31,1893December 12,1894ConservativeSir John Thompson(5th)December 21,1894August 19,1896Sir Mackenzie Bowell(6th)Sir Charles Tupper(7th)6Sir Oliver MowatSenator for Ontario(1820–1903)August 19,1896November 18,1897LiberalSir Wilfrid Laurier(8th)7David MillsSenator for Bothwell, Ontario(1831–1903)November 18,1897February 7,1902Liberal(3)Sir Richard William ScottSenator for Ottawa, Ontario(1825–1913)February 7,1902January 20,1909Liberal8Sir Richard John CartwrightSenator for Oxford, Ontario(1835–1912)January 20,1909October 10,1911Liberal9Sir James Alexander LougheedSenator for Calgary, Alberta(1854–1925)October 10,1911December 28,1921ConservativeSir Robert Borden(9th and 10th)UnionistConservativeArthur Meighen(11th)10Raoul DandurandSenator for De Lorimier, Quebec(1861–1942)December 29,1921June 28,1926LiberalWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King(12th)11William Benjamin RossNot in the Cabinet.Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec(1855–1929)June 28,1926September 24,1926ConservativeArthur Meighen(13th)(10)Raoul DandurandSenator for De Lorimier, Quebec(1861–1942)September 25,1926August 6,1930LiberalWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King(14th)12Wellington WilloughbySenator for Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan(1859–1932)August 7,1930February 3,1932ConservativeR. B. Bennett(15th)13Arthur MeighenSenator for St. Mary's, Ontario(1874–1960)February 3,1932October 22,1935Conservative(10)Raoul DandurandSenator for De Lorimier, Quebec(1861–1942)October 23,1935March 11,1942LiberalWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King(16th)14James Horace KingSenator for Kootenay East, British Columbia(1873–1955)May 26,1942August 24,1945Liberal15Wishart McLea RobertsonSenator for Shelburne, Nova Scotia(1891–1967)August 24,1945October 14,1953LiberalLouis St. Laurent(17th)16William Ross MacdonaldSenator for Brantford, Ontario(1891–1976)October 14,1953June 20,1957Liberal17John Thomas HaigSenator for Winnipeg, Manitoba(1877–1962)October 9,1957May 11,1958Progressive ConservativeJohn Diefenbaker(18th)18Walter AseltineSenator for Rosetown, Saskatchewan(1886–1971)May 12,1958August 31,1962Progressive Conservative19Alfred Johnson BrooksSenator for Royal, New Brunswick(1890–1967)August 31,1962April 21,1963Progressive Conservative(16)William Ross MacdonaldSenator for Brantford, Ontario(1891–1976)April 22,1963February 2,1964LiberalLester B. Pearson(19th)20John Joseph ConnollySenator for Ottawa West, Ontario(1906–1982)February 3,1964April 20,1968Liberal21Paul Martin Sr.Until April 1, 1969, Martin was, as had been typical, Minister without portfolio while holding the unofficial post of leader of the government in the Senate. Thereafter, Leader of the Government in the Senate became an official ministerial office.Senator for Windsor-Walkerville, Ontario(1903–1992)April 20,1968August 7,1974LiberalPierre Trudeau(20th)22Ray PerraultSenator for North Shore-Burnaby, British Columbia(1926–2008)August 8,1974June 3,1979Liberal23Jacques FlynnSenator for Rougemont, Quebec(1915–2000)June 4,1979March 2,1980Progressive ConservativeJoe Clark(21st)(22)Ray PerraultSenator for North Shore-Burnaby, British Columbia(1926–2008)March 3,1980September 29,1982LiberalPierre Trudeau(22nd)24Bud OlsonSenator for Alberta South, Alberta(1925–2002)September 30,1982June 29,1984Liberal25Allan MacEachenSenator for Highlands-Canso, Nova Scotia(1921–2017)June 30,1984September 16,1984LiberalJohn Turner(23rd)26Dufferin RoblinSenator for Red River, Manitoba(1917–2010)September 17,1984June 29,1986Progressive ConservativeBrian Mulroney(24th)27Lowell MurraySenator for Pakenham, Ontario(born 1936)June 30,1986November 3,1993Progressive ConservativeKim Campbell(25th)28Joyce FairbairnSenator for Lethbridge, Alberta(1939–2022)November 4,1993June 10,1997LiberalJean Chrétien(26th)29Alasdair GrahamSenator for The Highlands, Nova Scotia(1929–2015)June 11,1997October 3,1999Liberal30Bernie BoudreauSenator for Nova Scotia(born 1944)October 4,1999January 8,2001Liberal31Sharon CarstairsSenator for Manitoba(born 1942)January 9,2001December 11,2003Liberal32Jack AustinSenator for Vancouver South, British Columbia(born 1932)December 12,2003February 6,2006LiberalPaul Martin(27th)33Marjory LeBretonSenator for Ontario(born 1940)February 6,2006July 14,2013ConservativeStephen Harper(28th)34Claude CarignanSenator for Mille Isles, Quebec(born 1964)August 20,2013November 3,2015ConservativeRepresentative of the Government in the Senate35Peter HarderSenator for Ottawa, Ontario(born 1952)March 18,2016December 31,2019Non-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.Justin Trudeau(29)36Marc GoldSenator for Stadacona, Quebec(born 1950)January 24,2020June 30,2025Non-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.37Pierre Moreau Senator for The Laurentides, Quebec(born 1957)July 18,2025presentNon-affiliatedSits as non-affiliated but represents the Liberal government for the purposes of introducing legislation and acting as a liaison.Mark Carney(30th)
See also Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)
Notes
References
External links Government Representative's Office in the Senate