Plett re-elected Senate Tory leader

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This article was published 15/11/2021 (1673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 44th Canadian Parliament begins later this month and Sen. Don Plett will once again lead the Tory caucus in the upper chamber.

Plett’s caucus colleagues chose him for the position over Nunavut Sen. Dennis Patterson in an Oct. 26 caucus vote.

Plett announced his re-election on Twitter the same day, thanking his colleagues for their trust.

Plett, 71, will lead an 18-member Senate Conservative caucus for an indefinite term that extends until Parliament is dissolved.

In a Tuesday phone interview, Plett said he’s happy to be back in the saddle.

“With our numbers dwindling, I believe it was more important than ever to have somebody with experience at the helm.”

He added he also looks forward to serving Canadians and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, with whom he said he worked well during the last Parliament.

Plett, Manitoba’s lone Conservative senator, has played an increasingly prominent role in the Red Chamber since his appointment in 2009. In 2015, he was promoted to Opposition Whip. He was first elected Senate Tory leader in 2019.

The Senate will resume briefly to open Parliament on Nov. 22, then rise to await the throne speech the next day before convening for a fall sitting.

Plett said he won’t “pre-judge” the legislation the Liberals will bring forward, but is concerned they will reintroduce Bill C-10, which would amend the Broadcasting Act.

Supporters believe the bill will ensure Canadian artists are properly compensated in the streaming era. Plett said the bill holds concerning implications for freedom of speech and vowed to oppose any new version of it.

Plett called it “appalling” to see the Liberals building a coalition government with the NDP after Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a tentative mandate.”

Plett said the Liberals joining forces with a party to their left could produce “radical legislation” that will require vigilance from Conservatives in both chambers, even if they don’t have the numbers to stop legislation in its tracks.

Plett also confirmed he is not a member of the Civil Liberties Caucus—a group of Conservative MPs and Senators who have banded together to examine issues around COVID-19 vaccines—and hasn’t attended any of their meetings. He explained it would be inappropriate for a Senate leader to join such a group, but pointed out that single-issue caucuses are nothing new in Ottawa.

Plett said the group isn’t a threat to party unity, adding elected members of the mini caucus may simply be following their constituents’ wishes.

“We are not trained seals that simply follow what a dictator like our prime minister promotes,” Plett said.

Like many Canadians, Plett will be subject to a vaccine mandate when he returns to work this fall.

Plett voluntarily disclosed that he is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and declined to comment on Provencher MP Ted Falk’s decision to hide his vaccination status from constituents. Plett said he nevertheless dislikes the Senate’s vaccine rules, which require all senators who attend in-person meetings of the chamber to be fully vaccinated. But Plett said he won’t raise a point of privilege in the Senate like O’Toole has promised to do in the House.

Plett originally hails from Landmark. When he returns from Ottawa in the spring, he will move to Steinbach, where he has purchased property after years of living in Winnipeg.