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Trudeau adds to Senate ranks, appointing Julie Miville-Dechene from Quebec

Jun 20, 2018 | 11:15 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is appointing former journalist and public servant Julie Miville-Dechene to fill a Senate vacancy from Quebec.

Miville-Dechene spent 25 years as an award-winning news and public affairs correspondent for Radio-Canada in Washington, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

In 2007, she became the first woman appointed to the position of ombudsman for Radio-Canada.

In 2011, she was named chair of the Quebec government’s Conseil du statut de la femme, acting as an adviser to the government and contributing to numerous research reports on gender equality issues.

She also served as Quebec’s representative in Canada’s delegation to UNESCO and was appointed by the Quebec government as an envoy for human rights and freedoms in 2017.

She will sit as an independent senator, where Trudeau says he’s confident she will prove a valuable asset.

“Her experience as a journalist and a senior public servant will greatly benefit Parliament and all of Canada,” the prime minister said in a statement.

Trudeau has appointed 38 senators since taking office.

The Canadian Press