Wallin says she'll run in Sask. Senate election campaign

Saskatchewan's newest senator-to-be says she will resign her appointed seat and run as a candidate when the province holds elections for Senate nominees.

Pamela Wallin, a former broadcaster and diplomat, was one of 18 Senate appointments announced Monday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

A vacancy for a Saskatchewan senator was created this year when Len Gustafson reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

Wallin, 55, who was visiting family in her hometown of Wadena on Monday, said she was thrilled by her appointment.

"I spoke to the prime minister several weeks ago and we had a long discussion about the issues our country is facing and his beliefs about Senate reform and my beliefs about Senate reform, and I think it was a meeting of minds," she said.

The announcement of Wallin's appointment said she has agreed to step down as senator and submit her name as a candidate when Saskatchewan holds its first legislated Senate election.

Last month, the Saskatchewan Party government introduced the Election of Saskatchewan Nominees act, which calls for elections for Senate nominees to be held where there are vacancies.

According to the bill, which has not yet been passed into law, the elections could be held in conjunction with federal or provincial elections. The name of the winners would then be forwarded to the Queen's Privy Council for consideration.

Wallin, a former broadcaster with CBC and CTV, has served in posts with the federal Liberal and Conservative governments, including a stint as Canada's consul general in New York City and as a member of the panel on the future of Canada's role in Afghanistan.