Liberals criticized for their “independent” senators’ ties to the Liberal party

Prime Minister Trudeau has faced criticism for failing to deliver on a promise to keep the Senate independent after an audit found more than half of his appointments had Liberal ties.

Trudeau, who has appointed more than 80 senators since taking office, established an independent and nonpartisan advisory council in 2016 whose recommendations have since been based solely on his own recommendations.

A CBC analysis revealed those appointed included a long list of Liberal Party donors, staffers and candidates, calling into question the advisory board’s “independence.”

“Trudeau lied when he made that commitment and he’s lying about making it now. He’s counting on the Senate being a source of ‘resistance’ to (Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre) after the next election, which will further undermine his legitimacy,” University of Calgary political science professor Barry Cooper told True North.

Many of Trudeau’s appointees were former party members or long-time Liberal donors, many of whom donated tens of thousands of dollars, Elections Canada documents show.

One of Trudeau’s latest appointments is Mohammad Al Zaibak, a businessman who has made more than 150 donations to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Trudeau also appointed former Nova Scotia Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, who also served as parliamentary secretary in the Trudeau government, and Victor Boudreau, who served as a provincial cabinet minister and interim leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party.

Others include Joan Kingston, a former Liberal member of the New Brunswick legislature.

Longtime Liberal donor Toni Varone is a Toronto businessman who gave nearly $15,000 to the Liberals in the five years leading up to his nomination.

New Brunswick lawyer John McNair was previously Liberal Party chief of staff and executive director of the New Brunswick Liberal Association before his appointment. His grandfather, John B. McNair, also served as premier of New Brunswick under the Liberal banner.

“Another day and another broken promise from Trudeau. He lied to Canadians and said he would make the Senate independent and nonpartisan, but the reality is that almost every person he has appointed is actually a Liberal senator,” Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer told True North.

“Trudeau’s appointments are designed to advance his inflationary and expensive agenda, including blocking sensible bills like C-234, which seeks to end the carbon tax on our farmers and our food.”

According to Conservative senator Denise Batters, the latest round of nominations associated with the Liberal government demonstrates quite bluntly that Trudeau’s nomination process is far from nonpartisan.

“It’s very similar to a lot of things that happened under the Trudeau government, to be honest,” Batters told CBC News. “Justin Trudeau promised an independent Senate. But what happened is actually the exact opposite. He’s still trying to hide behind this semblance of independence.”

True North reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment but did not receive a response.

Scheer called the Senate appointments part of Trudeau’s plan to “push through his radical agenda that has caused pain and misery across this country.”