Two and a Half Cheers for a More Independent and Less Partisan Senate

Join MISC at 4:00 pm on Monday, March 30th at the Faculty Club (3450 McTavish Street) for the 2026 Winter Eakin Lecture, Two and a Half Cheers for a More Independent and Less Partisan Senate, by The Honourable Marc Gold.

It has been ten years since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced changes in the way in which senators were to be selected, with the objective of creating a more independent and less partisan Senate. Since then, there is an ongoing debate among senators and commentators about the effectiveness of the changes and whether the Senate's performance has improved or declined.

Drawing upon case-studies from his tenure as both an independent senator and as the Government Representative in the Senate, The Honourable Marc Gold will provide an insider’s perspective on the performance of the Senate and his assessment of how well it is fulfilling its role in the Canadian constitutional order. Although supportive of the changes in the Senate and its contribution to democratic deliberation and decision-making, he also warns that excessive activism and a lack of accountability could undermine its legitimacy and that of Canadian democracy overall.

The lecture will be followed by a Q&A and reception. This event is free and open to public; registration is required via Eventbrite.

The Eakin Lecture series is organized bi-annually by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, as a part of the Eakin Visiting Fellowship in Canadian Studies established by the Eakin family in memory of William R. Eakin. The fellowships are awarded each term to active scholars whose research or teaching advances Canadians Studies.

The Honourable Marc Gold, P.C. was appointed to the Senate in the fall of 2016. From January 2020 to his retirement in June 2025, he served as Government Representative in the Senate, leading a team responsible for advancing the government’s legislative agenda through the Upper Chamber. A law professor, mediator and musician, he has served in leadership roles on many boards in the cultural, educational and not-for-profit sector in Montreal and nationally. He currently sits on the boards of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and ENSEMBLE pour le respect de la diversité (formerly the Tolerance Foundation), where he served as Chair for ten years. This semester he is the Eakin Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Canada at McGill University, and is teaching an upper-year seminar entitled Making Government Work: Policy, Politics and the Legislative Process.

He is married to Nancy Cummings Gold, the father of Jenny and Emmy Gold, and the proud grandfather of Abby, Nelly and Oscar.

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