Prime Minister Mark Carney is rejecting accusations that the appointment of longtime Liberal organizer Tom Pitfield to the Senate was political patronage, insisting the new senator was chosen for his expertise rather than his role in the Liberal Party.Questioned by reporters, Carney said Pitfield's background in technology and entrepreneurship made him a strong addition to the upper chamber."Tom Pitfield is an entrepreneur," Carney said. "He's a philanthropist. He's got deep technological knowledge, knowledge about technology."Blacklock's Reporter said asked directly whether the appointment was a reward for helping him win the election, Carney replied: "Absolutely not."The prime minister said Senate appointments are intended to fill gaps in the chamber's collective expertise."We look at the Senate as a whole and what the competencies are, and obviously familiarity with government, familiarity with legislative processes and other things are helpful," Carney said. "We want some core competencies in there as well. Where the Senate is more deficient and there's people who are willing to serve, I am very pleased that they are."Pitfield has longstanding ties to the Liberal Party.He is the son of the late Sen. Michael Pitfield, a senior adviser to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and is married to Liberal MP Anna Gainey, the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and a former president of the Liberal Party of Canada.Pitfield also served as a senior organizer during Carney's leadership and election campaign.His appointment comes as the Senate continues to undergo significant turnover..There are currently six vacant Senate seats representing Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, with another nine senators scheduled to retire over the next year after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.Earlier this week, Carney said he was seeking "highly qualified candidates with diverse experiences and perspectives" for future appointments but did not elaborate on the selection criteria.Most current senators were appointed by Liberal prime ministers, although the vast majority now sit as independents after former prime minister Justin Trudeau removed Liberal senators from the party caucus in 2014.At the time, Trudeau argued senators should operate independently rather than along partisan lines."The only way to be part of the Liberal caucus is to be put there by the people of Canada," Trudeau said when announcing the change.The move eventually resulted in the Liberal caucus losing official status in the Senate in 2019 for the first time in more than 150 years.In announcing Pitfield's appointment on Monday, however, Carney acknowledged there was no longer any expectation that Senate appointments be based on a "non-partisanship criterion."Instead, he said the decision recognized Canadians who had made significant contributions through elected office or other partisan political roles.
