Government of Canada announces new members to be appointed to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments

The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, announced today the Government’s intention to appoint members to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments.

Ottawa, Ontario (July 15, 2026) – The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, announced today the Government’s intention to appoint members to the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (Advisory Board).

The Advisory Board is an independent body whose mandate is to provide the Prime Minister with non-binding, merit-based recommendations for Senate appointments. Established in January 2016, the Advisory Board consists of three federal members (a Chair and two members) and two members from each province or territory where a Senate vacancy is to be filled.

The Advisory Board will be chaired by the Honourable François Rolland, who has been serving as a federal member since 2018. Mr. Rolland is senior counsel, mediator and arbitrator with Langlois avocats and a former Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec.

The Honourable Sarabjit (Sabi) Marwah, a former Senator and former Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer with Scotiabank, will join the Advisory Board as a federal member. Melissa Blake, former mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, will continue in her current term as federal member.

The following new provincial members will be appointed to the Advisory Board. Ad hoc members will be added where required and when vacancies emerge in the Senate.