How many senators are in the Senate?

The Senate of Canada has 105 appointed senators representing the country's regions. The current allocation is 24 each from the four regional divisions (Ontario, Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and the Western provinces), 6 from Newfoundland and Labrador, and 1 each from Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The structure is set by sections 21 to 36 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and amendments. The Senate is the upper house of the federal Parliament; the House of Commons is the lower house.

Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, who since 2016 has used a non-partisan Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments to recommend candidates. Senators must be at least 30 years old, own property worth at least $4,000 in the province they represent, and meet residency requirements. They serve until age 75 (the mandatory retirement age added in 1965; before then senators were appointed for life).

The Senate's role is to provide 'sober second thought' on legislation passed by the House of Commons. Bills generally must pass three readings in both chambers and receive Royal Assent to become law. The Senate can amend or reject bills, though by convention it rarely rejects legislation from the elected House. Senate committees often conduct in-depth studies on policy issues. Notable Senate interventions include rejection of free-trade legislation in 1988 (triggering the federal election), the long debate over abortion legislation in 1990 to 1991 (Bill C-43, which died on a tied vote), and modifications to the medical-assistance-in-dying legislation in 2016.

Senate reform has been a recurring topic. The Reference re Senate Reform decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on April 25, 2014 ruled that consultative elections, term limits, and abolition all require constitutional amendments using either the section 7/50 amending formula (for elections and term limits, requiring federal and seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population) or unanimous consent (for abolition). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2016 reforms (the Independent Senate Appointments Process and the Independent Senators Group) reformed Senate practice without constitutional change.