Peter Harder

Peter Harder is the Government Representative in the Senate. As an independent member, his role is to advance legislation, in keeping with the goal of a more independent and less partisan Senate. He spent 29 years in the federal public service, serving as deputy minister of foreign affairs and international trade, citizenship and immigration, industry, and the Treasury Board Secretariat. He led the team responsible for the transition of government in 2015.

Articles by this author

Independent oversight needed on Senate expenses

During the first half of the 2010s, the Senate’s reputation was badly damaged by years of critical audits, political intrigue, police investigations and suspensions of senators. The ripples from these events are still being felt …

La nécessité d’une surveillance externe des dépenses au Sénat

(Cet article a été traduit de l’anglais.) Peu de Canadiens qui se sont intéressés à la récente évolution du Sénat pourraient soutenir de manière crédible que la Chambre haute ne s’est pas améliorée. Grâce au nouveau …

On cannabis Bill Senate must defer to Canadians’ democratic will

On March 22, Parliament faced an anxious moment when Conservative senators tried to manoeuvre the defeat of Bill C-45, legalizing cannabis in Canada. There are important historical and democratic reasons why Canada’s Senate should not …

Tall tales of the Senate and a withering Westminster

The 150-year-old duopoly of Conservatives and Liberals in the Red Chamber is over — of that there can be little doubt. But those who would argue by extension that the end of the two-party system …

When delay is not sober second thought

For decades, the Senate went about its work in reviewing and improving government legislation. It initiated landmark studies on health care, aging, marijuana, poverty, social cohesion and mental health. The Senate was not idle. At …

Why the Senate needs external oversight over expenses

(This article has been translated into French.) Few Canadians with an interest in the recent evolution of the Senate could credibly deny that the upper chamber is becoming a better place. Thanks to a new arm’s-length …