Manitoba Sen. Raymonde Gagné becomes Senate’s third-ever female Speaker

OTTAWA – A Manitoba senator will be the third woman to sit in the Speaker’s chair in the Senate, and the first to do so in 44 years.

The Governor General appointed Raymonde Gagné to serve in the role Friday on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A statement from Trudeau’s office lauding the appointment says Gagné, who worked in education before joining the Senate in 2016, is a strong advocate for minority language rights.

She was the president of Winnipeg’s Université de Saint-Boniface from 2003 to 2014.

The statement says Gagné has a reputation for being productive, objective and balanced, and the prime minister is confident she will uphold Canadians’ confidence in their democratic institutions.

Gagné is replacing the now-retired George Furey, who has been a senator since 1999 and served as Speaker for the last eight years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.