Nolin was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on June 18, 1993.
Nolin was elected Speaker pro tempore of the Canadian Senate on November 20, 2013 and, a year later, was appointed Speaker of the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper effective November 27, 2014, as a result of the retirement of his predecessor, Noël Kinsella [REF].