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Speaker of the Senate of Canada
Incumbent
Raymonde Gagné

since May 16, 2023
Senate of Canada
Style The Honourable
Appointer The governor general
on the advice of the prime minister
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Formation November 5, 1867
Salary $230,500

The speaker of the Senate of Canada (French: président du Sénat du Canada) is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and presides over debates and voting in the chamber. The office of the speaker is held by Raymonde Gagné who has held the position since May 16, 2023.

Appointment and precedence

By convention, the speaker of the Senate is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.

The speaker of the Senate takes precedence only after the monarch, the governor general, members of the Canadian Royal Family, former governors general and their spouses, the prime minister, former prime ministers, and the chief justice of Canada in the Canadian Order of Precedence.

History of the speaker

The role of the speaker in the Senate was originally based on that of the lord chancellor in the United Kingdom, who presided over the British House of Lords. In keeping with the role of the lord chancellor, the speaker of the Senate was expected to be partisan; the speaker of the Senate would, at all times, have the right to leave the chair, to participate in debates, and to hold an original vote—unlike the speaker of the House of Commons, who has a vote only in the event of a tie.

The speaker of the Senate was also similar to the lord chancellor in being considered equal to other senators. Decisions of the chair were not binding on the Senate unless the speaker's decision was also the pleasure of a majority of senators. Also similar to the practice of the House of Lords was that the speaker would not intervene unless another senator brought a matter to the attention of the speaker. Decisions from the chair remain subject to appeals from the Senate.

Canada has more recently departed from the traditions of the House of Lords, notably since 1991, when new rules for the Senate were adopted. The new Standing Orders have made it clear that the speaker of the Senate could intervene without being called to do so by the Senate. The new guidelines move the Senate further from the model of the self-governing practices of the House of Lords, and more toward the chair-governed customs of the House of Commons.

The position was preceded by the speaker of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada.

Role of the speaker

Canada senate chairs
The Speaker of the Senate occupies the chair in front of the thrones.

The speaker of the Senate is historically responsible for deciding on points of order, only once risen by another senator. However, with the 1991 amendments to the Standing Orders and Guidelines that govern the Senate of Canada, the speakership has generally begun to assert its right to intervene, where appropriate, without being prompted to do so. Therefore, the speaker is, broadly speaking, responsible for the maintenance of order and decorum in the Senate.

As a high-ranking individual on the order of precedence, the speaker of the Senate often receives visiting heads of state and heads of government — this role is not merely ceremonial; the speaker is a real delegate and representative of Canada abroad. They are expected to represent Canada internationally, and sometimes visit other nations on behalf of the Government of Canada.

While the speaker is an officer of the Senate, the speaker as a senator also remains a representative of the province or territory from which they were appointed. Unlike the speaker of the House of Commons, the speaker of the Senate has the right to participate in debates. The speaker has the right and power to cast an original vote, and to simultaneously preside over the voting process (rather than the speaker merely delivering a tie-breaking vote).

Another significant difference between the two speakers is that the speaker of the House of Commons holds a management role within the administration of the House of Commons and chairs the Board of Internal Economy. The speaker of the Senate holds no similar role, as the Senate's Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration is chaired by another senator.

In the absence of the speaker in the chamber, their duties are carried by the speaker pro tempore, a senator appointed at the beginning of each session by the Senate. Should both chair officers be absent, any senator can be called upon to take the chair. Irrespective of who is in the chair, their decisions hold the same force as that of the speaker of the Senate.

Ceremony

The speaker of the Senate performs the Senate Speaker's Parade to mark the opening of a sitting in the Senate with the help of the Black Rod.

List of speakers of the Senate

Key:

     Liberal Party of Canada      Historical Conservative parties (including Liberal-Conservative, Conservative (Historical), Nationalist Conservative, Progressive Conservative)      Conservative Party of Canada      Independent

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Party
Took office Left office
1 Joseph Edouard Cauchon.jpg Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(1816–1885)
November 5,
1867
May 16,
1869
Independent
Conservative
2 John Ross
Senator for Ontario
(1818–1871)
May 17,
1869
May 26,
1869
Conservative
(1) Joseph Edouard Cauchon.jpg Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(1816–1885)
May 27,
1869
June 2,
1872
Independent
Conservative
3 Amos Edwin Botsford.jpg Amos Edwin Botsford
Senator for New Brunswick
(1804–1894)
June 3,
1872
June 5,
1872
Conservative
(1) Joseph Edouard Cauchon.jpg Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(1816–1885)
June 6,
1872
June 30,
1872
Independent
Conservative
4 Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau - 1863.jpg Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(1820–1890)
February 21,
1873
January 8,
1874
Conservative
5 DavidChristie23.jpg David Christie
Senator for Erie, Ontario
(1818–1880)
January 9,
1874
October 16,
1878
Liberal
6 Robert Duncan Wilmot.jpg Robert Duncan Wilmot
Senator for New Brunswick
(1809–1891)
November 7,
1878
February 10,
1880
Conservative
7 David Lewis Macpherson.jpg David Lewis Macpherson
Senator for Saugeen, Ontario
(1818–1896)
February 11,
1880
February 15,
1880
Conservative
(3) Amos Edwin Botsford.jpg Amos Edwin Botsford
Senator for New Brunswick
(1804–1894)
February 16,
1880
April 18,
1880
Conservative
(7) David Lewis Macpherson.jpg David Lewis Macpherson
Senator for Saugeen, Ontario
(1818–1896)
April 19,
1880
October 16,
1883
Conservative
8 WilliamMiller23.jpg William Miller
Senator for Richmond, Nova Scotia
(1835–1912)
October 17,
1883
April 3,
1887
Liberal-
Conservative
9 Josiah Burr Plumb.jpg Josiah Burr Plumb
Senator for Ontario
(1816–1888)
April 4,
1887
March 12,
1888
Conservative
10 Senator George William Allan.jpg George William Allan
Senator for York, Ontario
(1822–1901)
March 17,
1888
April 26,
1891
Conservative
11 AlexandreLacoste23.jpg Alexandre Lacoste
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1842–1923)
April 27,
1891
September 13,
1891
Conservative
12 John Jones Ross2.jpg John Jones Ross
Senator for De la Durantaye, Quebec
(1831–1901)
September 14,
1891
July 12,
1896
Conservative
13 Charles Alphonse Pantaléon Pelletier.jpg Charles Alphonse Pantaléon Pelletier
Senator for Grandville, Quebec
(1837–1911)
July 13,
1896
January 28,
1901
Liberal
14 Lawrence Geoffrey Power.jpg Lawrence Geoffrey Power
Senator for Halifax, Nova Scotia
(1841–1921)
January 29,
1901
January 8,
1905
Liberal
15 Raoul Dandurand 1 (cropped).jpg Raoul Dandurand
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1861–1942)
January 9,
1905
January 13,
1909
Liberal
16 James Kirkpatrick Kerr.png James Kirkpatrick Kerr
Senator for Toronto, Ontario
(1841–1916)
January 14,
1909
October 22,
1911
Liberal
17 Auguste Charles Philippe Robert Landry.png Auguste Charles Philippe Robert Landry
Senator for Stadacona, Quebec
(1846–1919)
October 23,
1911
June 2,
1916
Conservative
18 Josephbolduc.jpg Joseph Bolduc
Senator for Lauzon, Quebec
(1847–1924)
June 3,
1916
February 6,
1922
Nationalist
Conservative
19 Hewitt Bostock.png Hewitt Bostock
Senator for Kamloops, British Columbia
(1864–1930)
February 7,
1922
May 12,
1930
Liberal
20 Senator Arthur Charles Hardy.jpg Arthur Charles Hardy
Senator for Leeds, Ontario
(1872–1962)
May 13,
1930
September 2,
1930
Liberal
21 Pierre Édouard Blondin.jpg Pierre-Édouard Blondin
Senator for The Laurentides, Quebec
(1874–1943)
September 3,
1930
January 10,
1936
Conservative
22 Walter Edward Foster.jpg Walter Edward Foster
Senator for Saint John, New Brunswick
(1873–1947)
January 11,
1936
May 8,
1940
Liberal
23 Georges Parent.jpg Georges Parent
Senator for Kennebec, Quebec
(1879–1942)
May 9,
1940
December 14,
1942
Liberal
24 Thomas Vien.jpg Thomas Vien
Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec
(1881–1972)
January 23,
1943
August 23,
1945
Liberal
25 James Horace King.jpg James Horace King
Senator for Kootenay East, British Columbia
(1873–1955)
August 24,
1945
August 2,
1949
Liberal
26 Élie Beauregard, 1941.png Élie Beauregard
Senator for Rougemont, Quebec
(1884–1954)
August 3,
1949
October 13,
1953
Liberal
27 Wishart McLea Robertson
Senator for Shelburne, Nova Scotia
(1891–1967)
October 14,
1953
October 3,
1957
Liberal
28 Mark Robert Drouin.jpg Mark Robert Drouin
Senator for La Salle, Quebec
(1903–1963)
October 4,
1957
September 23,
1962
Progressive
Conservative
29 George Stanley White
Senator for Hastings–Frontenac, Ontario
(1897–1977)
September 24,
1962
April 26,
1963
Progressive
Conservative
30 Maurice Bourget PA-047087.jpg Maurice Bourget
Senator for The Laurentides, Quebec
(1907–1979)
April 27,
1963
January 6,
1966
Liberal
31 Sydney John Smith.jpg Sydney John Smith
Senator for Kamloops, British Columbia
(1892–1976)
January 7,
1966
September 4,
1968
Liberal
32 Jean-Paul Deschatelets
Senator for Lauzon, Quebec
(1912–1986)
September 5,
1968
December 13,
1972
Liberal
33 Muriel McQueen Fergusson.jpg Muriel McQueen Fergusson
Senator for Frederickton, New Brunswick
(1899–1997)
December 14,
1972
September 11,
1974
Liberal
34 Renaude Lapointe
Senator for Mille Isles, Quebec
(1912–2002)
September 12,
1974
October 4,
1979
Liberal
35 Allister Grosart
Senator for Pickering, Ontario
(1906–1984)
October 5,
1979
March 3,
1980
Progressive
Conservative
36 Jean Marchand1.jpg Jean Marchand
Senator for De la Vallière, Quebec
(1918–1998)
March 4,
1980
December 15,
1983
Liberal
37 Maurice Riel
Senator for Shawinegan, Quebec
(1922–2007)
December 16,
1983
November 1,
1984
Liberal
38 Guy Charbonneau
Senator for Kennebec, Quebec
(1922–1998)
November 2,
1984
December 6,
1993
Progressive
Conservative
39 Roméo LeBlanc
Senator for Beauséjour, New Brunswick
(1927–2009)
December 7,
1993
November 21,
1994
Liberal
40 Gildas Molgat.jpg Gildas Molgat
Senator for Saint Rose, Manitoba
(1927–2001)
November 22,
1994
January 25,
2001
Liberal
41 Dan Hays
Senator for Calgary, Alberta
(born 1939)
January 26,
2001
February 7,
2006
Liberal
42 Noël Kinsella Senate of Poland 01.JPG Noël Kinsella
Senator for Fredericton–York–Sunbury, New Brunswick
(1939–2023)
February 8,
2006
November 26,
2014
Conservative
43 Pierre Claude Nolin.jpg Pierre Claude Nolin
Senator for De Salaberry, Quebec
(1950–2015)
November 27,
2014
April 23,
2015
Conservative
44 Leo Housakos in 2015.jpg Leo Housakos
Senator for Wellington, Quebec
(born 1968)
April 24,
2015
December 2,
2015
Conservative
45 George Furey 2016.jpg George Furey
Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador
(born 1948)
December 3,
2015
May 12,
2023
Independent
46 Raymonde Gagné, 2024 (cropped).jpg Raymonde Gagné
Senator for Manitoba
(born 1956)
May 16,
2023
Incumbent Independent

Hays, Housakos, and Furey are the only current living former speakers of the Senate.

Several speakers have died during their time in office:

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