Senator Peter Harder, the Government Representative in the Senate, offered congratulations to the two newest members of the Red Chamber who are set to join the growing ranks of independent Senators.

Martha Deacon and Robert Black were both appointed on Thursday to represent Ontario.

The current Government created an independent advisory board with a mandate to provide merit-based recommendations for Senate appointments. The Government no longer directs Senators to sit in a Government caucus.

So far, 32 Independent Senators have been appointed under the new process. The goal is to bolster the Senate’s role as an independent, complementary chamber that represents the voices of regional and minority interests in Canada.

Find out more about the new open Senate nomination process here.