Former U of S law dean to fill Saskatchewan seat in Senate
OTTAWA Legal ethics expert Brent Cotter is Saskatchewan’s newest senator.
Cotter, a former deputy minister of intergovernmental and Indigenous affairs in Saskatchewan, was one of the first professors in the field of legal ethics in Canada. He also held the position of dean of law at the University of Saskatchewan.
Notably, from 1992-97, he served as Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general. In 1997, he was appointed deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs and Aboriginal affairs, as well as deputy provincial secretary.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that the Governor General had appointed Cotter as an independent senator. Judith Keating was also appointed to fill a Senate seat for New Brunswick.
Keating is a 30-year veteran of New Brunswick’s public service and was the first woman to be that province’s deputy minister of justice.
Current senators from Saskatchewan include Denise Batters, Lillian Dyck, David Tkachuk, Pamela Wallin and Martin Klyne. Tkachuk retires next month when he turns 75, while Dyck will retire this summer.
Trudeau has now named 52 independent senators since 2016.
Senate appointments are officially made by the Governor General on the advice of the prime minister. Since 2016, Trudeau has selected senators from recommendations made by an independent advisory board. People interested in becoming senators submit applications via the advisory board.
The Senate has 105 seats. After these two appointments, there are five vacancies.