Politics

Pamela Wallin resigns from Senate, cites assisted dying policy as closure

The former broadcaster, who was a central figure in the Senate expense scandal, says she leaves convinced the institution is a core part of democracy.

By Marcus Lowe, Politics Reporter
October 19, 2026

OTTAWA · Senator Pamela Wallin has resigned from the upper chamber, ending a 17-year tenure that included a trail-blazing journalism career and a central role in the Senate expenses scandal. The resignation of the 73-year-old Saskatchewan senator, which took effect Sunday, was announced by the Senate clerk on Monday. Wallin said in an interview that the decision "just felt like the right time" to move on, adding that a recent federal policy change on medical assistance in dying provided her with a sense of closure. She was two years shy of the mandatory Senate retirement age of 75.

Wallin said she chose not to telegraph what she called a very personal decision to step down. She linked her departure to an announcement last week from Justice Minister Sean Fraser that the government will amend the Criminal Code to allow people to make advance requests for medical assistance in dying, also known as MAID. Wallin has long advocated for advance directives after watching her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and served on multiple parliamentary committees studying the issue. "I just think there are so many people in that situation that want to have some control and some sense of choice in the way that they leave, add some dignity to their departure," she said.

Wallin said she leaves the Senate convinced that the institution is a "core part of our democracy," though she believes provinces should have more say over appointments. Her resignation came as Albertans voted Monday in a referendum that included a question on whether the province should work to abolish the unelected Senate. Wallin said that "until somebody comes up with some other genius idea," the Senate is a critical check on the partisan House of Commons. "The Senate itself is the only body that puts a second pair of eyes on crucial legislation, and our process is much more thoughtful and much more in-depth than the House has the opportunity to engage in," she said.

Wallin was appointed to the Senate in 2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She became a key figure in the 2013 Senate expenses scandal after an audit found about $140,000 of her travel expenses were improper because they were related to her work on corporate boards. She was asked to leave the Conservative caucus and was suspended without pay from the Senate in November 2013, along with senators Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau. During an interview that year, Wallin apologized and said she did not "deliberately set out to use the system or abuse the system." She attributed the mistakes to carelessness and repaid about $150,000, including interest.

The RCMP investigated Wallin's expenses but did not lay any charges. Her suspension was lifted when Parliament was dissolved for the 2015 election. On Monday, Wallin said she had no interest in reliving that time but said the reforms that followed the scandal were necessary. She most recently sat with the Canadian Senators Group. Speaking on behalf of the group, Senator Flordeliz Osler said in a statement that Wallin spent her career "asking difficult questions, challenging conventional thinking, and standing firmly behind her convictions." Osler said Wallin's "independence, determination and unmistakable voice have left a lasting mark on public life in Canada."

A pioneering career in journalism

Wallin's Senate appointment followed a pioneering career in broadcast journalism. She became a household name as co-host of Canada AM in 1981. In 1985, she was tapped to lead CTV’s Ottawa bureau, becoming the first woman to head a national television news bureau in Canada, and was producer and host of the network's political show Question Period. She broke ground again in 1992 as the first woman to co-anchor a nightly news show in Canada on CBC’s Prime Time News. Prior to her Senate appointment, Wallin served as Canada's consul general in New York from 2002 to 2006 and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and CBC News