The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, appointed Suze Youance as an independent senator to fill a vacancy in the Senate for Quebec.
Ms. Youance is originally from Haiti and immigrated to Canada in 2006, making a name for herself in the fields of engineering, teaching, and research. She has worked for several engineering firms and has taught for many years at the École de technologie supérieure in Montréal. She is also a dedicated volunteer, a television personality, and the recipient of several awards, including the Casimir Gzowski gold medal from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
Ms. Youance was recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and chosen using a merit-based process open to all Canadians. Introduced in 2016, this process ensures senators are independent, and are able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country.
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“I congratulate Ms. Youance on her appointment to the Senate. Her experience will make her a strong voice for Quebec and for people across the country.”
The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Quick Facts
- The Senate is the Upper House in Canada’s parliamentary democracy.
- Candidate submissions were reviewed by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, which provided recommendations to the Prime Minister. The Board is guided in its work by public, transparent, non-partisan, and merit-based criteria to identify highly qualified candidates for the Senate.
- With today’s announcement, there have been 88 independent appointments to the Senate made on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All of them were recommended by the Board.
- Under the Canadian Constitution, the Governor General appoints individuals to the Senate. By convention, senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister.
- Once appointed by the Governor General, new senators join their peers to examine and revise legislation, investigate national issues, and represent regional, provincial and territorial, and minority interests – important functions in a modern democracy.