Carney seeks a ‘quarterback’ in the Senate with Pitfield but partisan shift a ‘warning sign,’ say observers

The prime minister has announced his first four Senate appointees, including now-former Conservative MP Richard Martel and longtime Liberal Tom Pitfield, the PMO’s principal secretary.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is appointing four new Senators, including two without the advice of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. The PMO says a ‘new’ version of the body will be established ‘in the coming days.’ The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

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BY ELEANOR WAND

July 7, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first-ever Senate appointments tap two partisan picks from both sides of the aisle—a sitting Conservative MP and the Prime Minister Office’s principal secretary—signifying a return to a more partisan Upper Chamber, says one former PMO sta...

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