Pamela Wallin has announced her resignation after serving as a senator for Saskatchewan for 17 years. Wallin expressed that she felt it was time to explore new opportunities beyond the demanding responsibilities of a senator, which she described as a round-the-clock commitment. At 73 years old, Wallin shared with Blue Sky’s Leisha Grebinski that she sensed the closure of her tenure and desired to pursue other ventures.
Wallin’s professional journey has been diverse, starting from her roots in Moose Jaw and upbringing in Wadena, to a successful 40-year career in broadcast journalism in Ontario. Her notable roles included hosting CTV’s Canada AM, becoming the network’s first female bureau chief in Ottawa, and co-anchoring CBC’s Prime Time News. Following her impactful journalism career, Wallin served as the Consul General of Canada to New York post-9/11, appointed by former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In 2008, she was appointed to the Senate by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, where she maintained a more low-key profile compared to her media prominence.
Despite her advocacy work, Wallin’s time in the Senate was marred by her involvement in the 2013 Senate expense scandal, where she was found to have improperly charged approximately $140,000 in travel expenses related to her board positions. Wallin rectified the situation by repaying the funds with interest, attributing the error to paperwork mismanagement.
In recent years, Wallin became a vocal proponent for expanding access to Canada’s Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) program, driven by her personal experience with her mother’s Alzheimer’s. Justice Minister Sean Fraser recently announced plans for legislation that would allow advance consent for MAID in cases where a person’s disease would impair their capacity to consent in the future. This development coincided with Wallin’s decision to step down from the Senate, feeling that the proposed expansion of MAID marked a fitting conclusion to her Senate term.
Wallin’s unexpected resignation, nearly two years before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 for senators, took many by surprise, including political scientist Greg Poelzer. With Wallin’s departure, Saskatchewan now faces two vacant Senate seats, including Wallin’s and that of the late Todd Lewis who passed away in July.
