Former provincial Liberal cabinet minister and lawyer Pierre Moreau was appointed as an independent senator on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office announced.
Mr. Moreau will thus fill a vacant seat in the Senate for Quebec.
“Mr. Moreau’s experience and expertise will greatly benefit the Senate. He will be an important spokesperson for his community and all of Quebec,” said Mr. Trudeau in a press release.
Mr. Moreau is a lawyer specializing in public and administrative law. He was elected Liberal MP in the riding of Marguerite-D’Youville in 2003, then Châteauguay in 2008.
He has held several positions within the provincial government over the years. Under Premier Jean Charest, he was notably parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, as well as parliamentary assistant to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Government Administration.
Mr. Moreau was also chief government whip from December 2008 to February 2011. After serving as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources under Philippe Couillard, he was defeated in 2018.
Aged 66, the lawyer was born in Verchères, in Montérégie.