For most Canadians, the Senate of Canada remains something of a mystery—an appointed body they vaguely remember from high school civics class. But as Senator Mary Coyle explained in this week’s episode of Let’s Talk Antigonish, the reality of Senate work is far more dynamic, consequential, and increasingly independent than most citizens realize.

Senator Coyle, who has represented Nova Scotia in the upper chamber for eight years and calls Antigonish home, used the conversation to pull back the curtain on what she describes as a job that keeps her “brain on fire all day, every day”—investigating everything from Arctic sovereignty to medical assistance in dying, from climate solutions to the rights of Indigenous peoples.

The Senate’s primary function, Coyle explained, is straightforward but crucial: every law in Canada must pass through three readings in both the House of Commons and the Senate before receiving royal assent. But the Senate’s role goes far beyond rubber-stamping legislation from the elected lower house.

“We primarily are legislators,” Coyle noted, “but in addition to that, senators represent regions. I represent the province of Nova Scotia along with nine colleagues. And then the final thing we do is investigate—we look around at what are the issues of burning concern to Canada and to our world.”

This investigative function plays out through Senate committees, where Coyle has served on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Fisheries and Oceans, and a Special Committee on the Arctic. These committees do two things: scrutinize bills with rigorous detail before they become law, and study major issues facing the country—from Coast Guard search and rescue capabilities in a changing climate to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The committee work involves calling witnesses, receiving submissions from Canadians, consulting Library of Parliament analysts who provide specialized research, and often traveling to communities to hear directly from those affected by proposed legislation. Increasingly, witnesses appear online rather than in person—a shift accelerated by COVID-19 that has made the process more accessible.

A crucial distinction separates today’s Senate from its historical predecessor: the independent appointment process introduced in 2016 under Justin Trudeau’s government. Coyle had to apply for her position through what she described as “quite a rigorous application process” that took months.

“I would have never been a senator under the partisan system,” Coyle acknowledged. “I’m not a fierce partisan, and I would have been very unlikely to be appointed. The independence attracted me.”

Today, out of 105 Senate seats, only 12 to 13 are held by partisan Conservatives in an official caucus. Five senators represent the government but are described as “unaffiliated,” while Coyle belongs to the largest group, the Independent Senators Group. Critically, there’s no whipping of votes—no party leadership demanding senators vote a particular way.

“One piece of advice I was given when I was a new senator was don’t vote with your buddies,” Coyle recalled. “Stay independent, talk to your colleagues, but make sure the decision the way you vote is true to your own sense of what the right thing is to do.”

This independence creates fascinating dynamics. Coyle described one instance where Conservative senators, though opposed to a government bill, voted in favor of it when they realized it might otherwise fail—prioritizing respect for the elected government’s agenda over their own partisan position.

However, the transformation isn’t complete. “The chamber and all the rules are still set up to a large extent to be a bipartisan chamber,” Coyle explained. “So a lot of our job, in addition to legislate, represent, investigate, is to renovate.”

The future of Senate independence now hangs in the balance with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new government. Several Senate seats are vacant, and everyone is watching to see whether Carney will continue using the independent appointment process or revert to partisan appointments.

“We don’t have any indication that he will scrap it,” Coyle noted, “but we also haven’t seen any evidence that he’s going to use the new system.”

Key Insights from Senator Mary Coyle:

* Regional Representation by Design: Nova Scotia insisted on disproportionate Senate representation as a condition of joining Confederation. With 10 senators compared to Ontario and Quebec’s 24 each, smaller provinces have far more influence than their population would suggest—and that was the whole point.

* Three Core Functions: Senators legislate (all laws must pass both houses), represent (their provinces and underrepresented voices), and investigate (studying critical issues facing Canada through committees).

* The Power of Amendment: The Senate focuses primarily on improving bills rather than rejecting them outright. Through rigorous committee study, senators identify ways to strengthen legislation while respecting the primacy of the elected House.

* Balancing Impossible Choices: On issues like medical assistance in dying, senators must weigh deeply conflicting perspectives—disability advocates concerned about devaluing disabled lives versus individuals suffering unbearably who want autonomy. Coyle sought input from L’Arche Antigonish and disability communities locally before voting.

* Independence Attracts Different Leaders: The new appointment process has brought in senators who would never have sought partisan appointments, changing the chamber’s character and potentially its effectiveness.

* Climate as a Unifying Issue: As co-chair and co-founder of Senators for Climate Solutions, Coyle works to create a “big tent” approach that avoids polarization. The group is “solutions agnostic,” exposing senators to all potential climate solutions—including controversial ones like nuclear energy or carbon capture—while maintaining focus on meeting net-zero targets.

* Constant Learning Required: Senators must develop expertise across wildly diverse subjects. Coyle has sponsored bills on offshore tax havens, border information, chemical weapons, and citizenship for “lost Canadians.” Each requires deep study and consultation.

* Active Community Engagement: Unlike elected officials focused on their districts, senators actively seek out information from multiple levels of government and civil society. Coyle regularly meets with municipal leaders, provincial representatives, Indigenous chiefs and councils, and advocacy groups.

* The Antigonish Advantage: Having a senator from a small town means the community gets national attention. All 20 of Coyle’s King Charles III coronation medals went to Antigonish residents, shining a spotlight on local contributions that might otherwise go unrecognized nationally.

* Senators Can Introduce Legislation: While most government bills originate in the House of Commons, some start in the Senate to manage legislative timelines. Additionally, any senator can introduce “Senate public bills” (similar to private members’ bills)—current examples include guaranteed livable basic income and restricting sports betting advertising to youth.

Coyle’s personal connection to Antigonish runs deep. She came to run the Coady International Institute 29 years ago, intending to stay five years. She became a VP at St. Francis Xavier University, ran the McKenna Center, and now has five grandchildren and two of her three daughters living in the community.

This local rootedness informs her Senate work in tangible ways. When she learned from maritime environmental groups that the recent federal budget contained nothing on nature conservation, she confronted then-Minister Stephen Guilbeault at COP30 in Brazil with their concerns. (He promised action “by early December,” though it hadn’t materialized by the interview date and he’s since left cabinet.)

She’s working with the Mulroney Institute at StFX on initiatives including an upcoming Canadian Youth Climate Assembly, bringing together her climate work with local educational institutions. She hosted Antigonish’s mayor and councillors when they visited Ottawa, bringing them into the Senate chamber and facilitating their meetings with other municipal leaders.

During COVID and the crisis around Indigenous fishing rights, Coyle met with then-Senator Dan Christmas and P.J. Prosper (who was regional chief at the time, now also a senator) to address the conflict—an example of issue-specific collaboration across government levels.

Public perception of the Senate remains mixed, Coyle acknowledged. Canadians recall scandals from roughly 20 years ago and often know little about what the institution actually does. However, polling conducted by a former pollster who’s now a senator shows attitudes are slowly improving, particularly around the move toward independence.

“Canadians like that,” Coyle said of the independent appointment process. “It does sound on the surface like the way it should be.”

The conversation revealed a portrait of modern Senate work still adhering to the main goal of being the “chamber of sober second thought” Senators engage in active investigation, community consultation, and what Coyle described as “renovation”—transforming an institution designed for partisan operation into something more independent and potentially more effective.

When asked if she’d serve until the mandatory retirement age of 75, the 71-year-old senator didn’t hesitate: “That’s, of course, my current plan.”

For a small town like Antigonish, having one of its own in the Senate means more than symbolic representation. It means local concerns reach national decision-makers, local expertise informs national legislation, and local contributions receive national recognition. As Coyle put it: “If the Senate had never heard of Antigonish, they certainly know about it now.”

Get full access to Let’s Talk Antigonish at letstalkantigonish.substack.com/subscribe