Biography

Scott Tannas is a proud Albertan who was born in High River, Alberta where he resides with his wife Taryn. Together, they have four adult children and one grandchild.

Senator Tannas is Founder and Vice Chairman of Western Financial Group Inc. (“Western”), having served as its CEO from 1996 to 2014. From humble beginnings as a small town insurance agent in High River, he engineered the building of Western while fostering a corporate culture of truthfulness, fairness, value, and loyalty. The company now has more than 1800 employees working in over 160 offices that stretch across the west from Winnipeg to the Pacific coast.

Senator Tannas’ interest in public service was inspired by his father, Don Tannas, who, after a successful career as an educator and small businessman, was elected as a Conservative MLA for the riding of Highwood and Deputy Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. After giving it much consideration, Scott Tannas ventured into politics himself as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 2012 Alberta Senator-in-Waiting elections, where he was elected and ultimately appointed to the Senate by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper on March 22, 2013.

Scott Tannas sits on a number of important Senate committees including Aboriginal Peoples’; Banking, Trade and Commerce; and Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration. He is making Senate Reform one of his key priorities as a Senator, and was a founding member of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, which delivered a series of reports advocating sweeping changes to the operations of the Senate. Senator Tannas is also Chair of the Special Advisory Working Group on Senate Long-term Vision Plan.

In addition to his Senate duties, Scott Tannas remains active in the western Canadian business community as a Director of Western Financial Group and its subsidiaries. He serves as Lead Director at Rocky Mountain Dealerships Inc., an important agricultural enterprise with locations across the prairies.

For many years, Senator Tannas has been engaged in charitable work as a donor and fundraiser. He is an Honorary Director of SOS Children’s Villages Canada, and Chairman of the Western Communities Foundation.