Quebec Senator Richard Martel has joined the Conservative Senate group, according to the Senate opposition leader’s statement on Oct. 6, 2026.
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Quebec Senator Richard Martel has joined the Conservative Senate group, the Senate opposition leader, Leo Housakos, said in a statement issued Oct. 6, 2026.
Martel left the House of Commons in July after Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed him to the Senate, but he had not previously identified which Senate group he would sit with.
Martel said he is happy to join his Conservative colleagues in the Senate and said he looks forward to work on the national security, defence and veterans affairs committee.
A photo of Martel shows him posing ahead of his swearing-in at the Senate of Canada in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
His resignation from the House of Commons triggered a byelection in his former riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, which the Liberals won in August, increasing their majority in the House of Commons.
The Canadian Senate operates so that all incoming senators join the Upper Chamber as independents, typically later joining one of the Senate groups a few weeks after their term begins.
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