Kim Pate

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Kim Pate, CM, born November 10, 1959, is a Canadian senator from Ontario. She has sat in the Senate since November 10, 2016, as a member of the Independent Senators Group. She was nominated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and appointed by Governor General David Johnston on Trudeau’s advice. Pate grew up in a military family and earned a BA from the University of Victoria (1980) and an LLB with honours from Dalhousie Law School (1984). She has worked to help marginalized women in the criminal justice system and studied forensic mental health. In 2014, she was named a Member of the Order of Canada for her advocacy and research. She previously led the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and received the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 2011. In 2022, she helped push for a review of the convictions of 12 Indigenous women, including the Quewezance sisters, toward possible exoneration. She is openly lesbian and sits with the Canadian Pride Caucus, a non-partisan group of LGBTQ lawmakers.