Sen. Todd Lewis inspects canola at his farm near Gray, Sask., on Thursday, July 29, 2021, during his term as president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle NeisKayle Neis/The Canadian Press
Todd Lewis, a Saskatchewan senator, farmer and agricultural sector advocate has died at the age of 65.
Raymond Gagne, the speaker of the Senate, announced Mr. Lewis’s death Saturday afternoon and calls him a “steadfast champion of Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector.”
“Throughout his more than four-decade career on the land, Senator Lewis emerged as a leading advocate for farmers’ interests, serving five years as president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and as a leading member of many other community organizations,” Gagne said in a statement.
Mr. Lewis was appointed to the Senate by former prime minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 7, 2025.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says in a statement that Mr. Lewis’s lifetime of public service led him to the Senate where he remained a “steadfast voice” for rural communities.
“Senator Lewis understood that farming is more than a livelihood — it is a responsibility to the land, to one’s neighbours, and to the generations that follow. He carried that conviction from his family farm in Gray, Saskatchewan, into a distinguished career of advocacy that made him one of Canadian agriculture’s most trusted voices,” Mr. Carney said in a statement.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe also shared a message of condolences, saying Mr. Lewis was a community leader and advocate for his home province.
Mr. Lewis operated a farm near Gray, Sask., about 39 kilometres south of Regina, for more than 40 years.
Mr. Lewis’s past public service includes time on his local school board, more than 20 years as a council member for the rural municipality of Lajord, time as a volunteer firefighter and board president for his community rink.