Plett reflects on Red Chamber tenure

Don Plett retired from the Senate after turning 75 on May 14.

Senators must be less than 75 years old to continue serving, according to the Government of Canada’s constitutional eligibility requirements, marking the end of an era for the Landmark senator.

“When I walked into the Red Chamber, I got a lump in my throat when I thought of the fact that I was number 954 since confederation to have been appointed to the Senate of Canada. It was humbling. It was something that I will never, ever forget,” he said on a phone interview on Thursday.

The Senate is responsible for passing bills, renewing legislations, debating on bills, and a senator is appointed to represent different provinces in Canada.

“I think about what I’ve just done. The vote that I am making today impacts 42 million people,” said Plett. “That is an awesome responsibility.”

He said his father, Archie Plett, got him involved in politics and was always supporting him in his sports.

“You fight hard whether it’s on the rink or in the Senate or in Parliament. And when the game is over and evening comes, you go and have a drink with the opponent,” said Plett.

Plett was appointed to the Senate on Aug. 27, 2009, under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He became part of the Senate’s Conservative leadership team in December 2015. In November 2019, he was elected Leader of the Opposition.

His most memorable moment was when he debated against the Emergencies Act.

The Emergencies Act allows the federal government in a national emergency to give police more tools, issuing fines or imprisonment, to restore order in places like blockades, occupations or protests. It was invoked on Feb. 14, 2022.

“I made an hour-and-a-half speech and that speech got 750,000 views and that made me tremendously proud,” said Plett. “It was right after that speech—whether it was because of that speech or not—that the Prime Minister withdrew the Emergencies Act.”

Plett’s hour and 27-minute speech in the Senate was made on February 23, 2022, shortly after 1 p.m. in Ottawa.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revoked the Emergencies Act during a news conference in Ottawa the evening of Feb. 23, 2022.

“The Senate is not as functional today as it was when I got there 16 years ago,” Plett said.

Plett described the current Senate as a “glorified echo chamber,” “shameful,” and “inefficient”

He wasn’t pleased with the election resulting in a Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“It saddens me more than anything,” said Plett. “I don’t have a lot of faith or hope that it will be with somebody with conservative values that will be appointed to replace me.”

In the meantime, Plett plans to golf three to four times a week, and to watch his granddaughter’s curling games in Denmark.

“I suppose it will sink in a week from now when the house comes back, and they start sitting, and I hear about the things going on. I think that’s when I’ll maybe start feeling it more than I do right now,” he said.

Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos became the new Senate Opposition Leader in May 2025.

The Senate’s first sitting was on Monday, May 26.