Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed five individuals to vacant “independent senator” spots, including one former Liberal MP and a Liberal MLA who is a long-time party donor.
Chief among the appointments was former Cape Breton – Canso MP Rodger Cuzner. Cuzner had served with the federal Liberals from 2000 to 2019 and was the Parliamentary Secretary for Employment, Workforce Development and Labour under Trudeau.
The statement announcing Cuzner’s appointment makes no explicit mention of his Liberal ties and only refers to him as a “former parliamentarian.”
“Rodger Cuzner is a former parliamentarian. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2000, and represented his home province of Nova Scotia for 19 years while serving in various roles, including Parliamentary Secretary to former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Most recently, he served as Consul General of Canada in Boston, United States of America, from 2020 to 2023,” the statement reads.
Appointee, former New Maryland MLA Joan Kingston also served under the New Brunswick Liberal Association banner for one term from 1995 to 1999.
She was appointed by Trudeau alongside John McNair and Krista Ross to fill two Senate vacancies for New Brunswick. Rejean Aucoin and Rodger Cuzner were appointed for two Nova Scotia spots.
Additionally, Kingston has a decade-long history of regularly donating to the federal Liberal Party of Canada, including donations to Trudeau’s leadership campaign in 2013.
Elections Canada records show that Kingston contributed $100 to Trudeau’s leadership campaign on December 31, 2012.
Kingston has also made regular $20 donations to the party on a monthly basis dating all the way back to 2012 with the most recent donation being December 29, 2022.
According to Elections Canada data, the total donations contributed by Kingston add up to $4,930.
The largest donation by Kingston was $500 towards the Fredericton Federal Liberal Association on July 29, 2020.
Despite Kingston’s extensive ties to the Liberals, the announcement by Trudeau makes no mention of her role as a Liberal member and party donor.
“Joan Kingston is a registered nurse and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. During her career in health care and provincial politics, she has been an active advocate for nurses and for community and women’s health. She was most recently a consultant with the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Nursing,” the announcement claimed.
This is not the first time that Trudeau has come under fire for appointing people close to the federal Liberals to vacant Senate seats.
In 2021, Trudeau appointed Amina Gerba to represent Quebec. Donation records showed that Gerba also made repeat donations to the federal Liberals.
