The Senate chamber sits empty on in Ottawa on Jan. 13, 2011.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Slideshow
Harper's loyal Senate soldiers
Stephen Harper has appointed 38 senators since becoming Prime Minister. They now make up more than a third of the 105 members of the Senate. Unless the Conservatives successfully pass term-limit legislation, they will hold their jobs until the age of 75. All have some connection to the Conservative Party, but some are more partisan than others. Here is a sample selection
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Former Tory candidate Salma Ataullahjan
Salma Ataullahjan, 58
Born in Pakistan to a distinguished family – her grandfather was a leader in the independence movement – she came to Canada 31 years ago and has been a real-estate agent in Toronto and sat on the boards of numerous charities, including the Canadian Pashtun Cultural Association, of which she was president. In 2008, she ran in Mississauga-Brampton South and lost to incumbent Liberal MP Navdeep Bains.
Partisanship rating: 3 (out of 5)
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Patrick Brazeau, former national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.
Patrick Brazeau, 36
The youngest member of the Senate was national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. He created controversy by proposing to continue in that role while also serving in the Senate, but eventually resigned.
Partisanship rating: 1 (out of 5)
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Former broadcaster Mike Duffy
Mike Duffy, 64
A native of Charlottetown (he represents Prince Edward Island in the Senate), he became famous as a broadcaster, first with CBC and then with CTV. When called to the Senate, he was the host of Mike Duffy Live, an hour about politics on the Hill that aired daily on CTV News Channel.
Partisanship rating: 2 (out of 5)
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Former Harper campaign manager Doug Finley— Reuters
Doug Finley, 64
Human Resources Minister Diane Finley's husband is the ultimate insider: He was campaign manager for Stephen Harper's 2006 and 2008 election campaigns and director of the party's public operations. In his private life, he was an executive with Rolls-Royce Canada.
Partisanship rating: 5 (out of 5)
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Iriving Gerstein, former president of Peoples Jewellers.
Irving Gerstein, 69
The former president of Peoples Jewellers once headed the world's largest jewellery retail empire. He is also a long-time fundraiser for the Conservative Party and served as chairman of the Conservative Fund of Canada. His work in business and philanthropy earned him entry to the Order of Canada.
Partisanship rating: 4 (out of 5)
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Nancy Green Raine, Olympic ski champion— The Canadian Press
Nancy Greene Raine, 67
The Canadian Press dubbed the B.C. native Canadian Athlete of the 20th Century. She dominated alpine skiing in the 1960s, winning World Cup titles and Olympic gold in 1968 at Grenoble, France. She and her husband later developed ski resorts and Ms. Greene took an active interest in politics, endorsing the Reform Party as far back as 1993.
Partisanship rating: 2 (out of 5)
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Don Meredith, Pentecostal preacher.
Don Meredith, 46
The Jamaican-born Pentecostal preacher leads and helped found the GTA Faith Alliance, which is dedicated to fighting gang violence. A community activist, he has worked with the police, including former Toronto police chief and current Conservative cabinet minister Julian Fantino, to tackle the underlying causes of youth crime. He also carried the Conservative banner in a 2008 by-election that sent Liberal MP Bob Rae to Parliament.
Partisanship rating: 3 (out of 5)
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Larry Smith, former CFL commissioner
Larry Smith, 59
He played for the Montreal Alouettes and recently stepped down as the team's president. He also served as Canadian Football League commissioner, and was briefly publisher of the Montreal Gazette. There was speculation he would be parachuted into the cabinet, but instead he will leave the Senate to run in the Montreal riding of Lac-Saint-Louis in the next election.
Partisanship rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
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Caroline Stewart-Olsen, former Harper press secretary— The Canadian Press
Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, 64
The New Brunswick native's greatest claim to fame is her many years of service to the Reform Party, the Canadian Alliance, the short-lived Democratic Representative Caucus and the Conservative Party. She signed on as Stephen Harper's press secretary in 2002 during his leadership run for the Alliance, and served as a communications adviser until he rewarded her with a Senate seat.
Partisanship rating: 5 (out of 5)
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Pamela Wallin, former broadcaster
Pamela Wallin, 57
Once a member of the Waffle, a hard-left NDP faction, the journalist – who once raised eyebrows by asking then-Liberal leader John Turner if he had a drinking problem – was appointed consul-general in New York by Jean Chrétien. But she agreed to sit in the Tory caucus when Mr. Harper appointed her to the Senate, where she's developed a reputation as a strong party loyalist.
Partisanship rating: 3 (out of 5, but rising)
