Trudeau Senate nominee has deep ties to Montreal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s most recent senate appointment saw Tony Loffreda, vice-chairman of RBC, nominated to fill a vacancy.

Certain elements of Canadian intelligentsia are unhappy with this appointment. In a recent statement by Jagmeet Singh, the NDP Leader wrote: “It’s simple: his priority is working for the richest, not for the rest of us.” However, this betrays a lack of local knowledge from Singh, whose party now only polls at 9.4% in Quebec according to CBC’s Canada Poll Tracker.  Loffreda is a prominent member of Montreal’s Italian community where he is renowned for his philanthropy.

Loffreda will be Trudeau’s 50th nomination to the Senate. He has received awards such as the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers and the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award for setting a “shining example” for “compassion and engagement.”

The dedicated Montrealer was also elected President of the Italian Canadian Community Foundation. The association believed Loffreda to have an “unrivaled record of outreach and leadership in helping charitable and philanthropic efforts.”

Loffreda has sat on the Board of Directors for the Montreal Jewish General Hospital, and on the Board of Governors for Concordia University—his alma mater.

“I’ve had the privilege of calling Tony a friend now for many, many years. We worked closely together on a cause that’s very important to my heart, and that’s autism,” Leo Housakos, a Canadian senator appointed by Stephen Harper,  told The Post Millennial.

“He’s completely well-respected by all corners.”

Housakos noted it was likely not a coincidence Loffreda’s appointment was announced the same day Scheer was visiting Montreal’s Italian community at the Leonardo Davinci Center. The Post Millennial has previously remarked Trudeau required a stronger policy with Quebec’s Italian community if it hoped to win over the province come the October election.

In conclusion, Trudeau’s decision to appoint Tony Loffreda to the Senate was likely due to Montreal community politics and Loffreda’s reputation. It appears, according to Senator Housakos, that “Mr. Trudeau finally got one right!”