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Leo Housakos - Conservative Party of Canada (Wellington-Quebec) (Chair)

Leo Housakos

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

As Speaker, Senator Housakos met with several foreign heads of state, diplomats and dignitaries at home and abroad. He also served as Chair and a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Senator Housakos is a staunch defender of human rights, freedom, and the rule of law. He has often spoken out against regimes who do not adhere to these values and principles with motions and bills including calls for Magnitsky sanctions against the communist regime of China and condemnation of Turkey for its increased aggression and conversion of the Hagia Sophia.

As Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, Senator Housakos was at the forefront of the Senate’s modernization in recent years.

Currently, Senator Housakos has several bills before the Senate including one that would require the federal government to draft and implement a federal framework for autistic Canadians and their families.

Over the years, Senator Housakos continues to spearhead efforts to raise funds and awareness for the Greek schools of Socrates and Demosthenes of Greater Montreal and for Giant Steps School and Resource Centre.

Prior to his appointment to the Senate of Canada, Senator Housakos, a graduate of McGill University, enjoyed a successful career in business while engaging in public service through various functions including serving two terms as Vice-President of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec and as a founding member of the Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

The senator’s passion for public policy and service was evident early in life when he became involved with the youth wing of the Progressive Conservative Party at the age of sixteen. Following university he went on to work as a staffer in the Ministry of Multiculturalism with the Honourable Gerry Weiner before running as a candidate for the Canadian Alliance in the riding of Laval West in 2000. He then served as an advisor to the Mayor of Montreal between 2001 and 2002, demonstrating a well-balanced resume at all levels of public service in Canada.

In 2018, Senator Housakos was invested as an Archon of the Greek Orthodox Church in recognition of his unwavering support of the church, his leadership within the Hellenic community and his work on behalf of all Canadians as a parliamentarian.

Senator Housakos’s greatest sources of pride and joy remain his wife Demi and their two sons, Peter and Tasso.

Julie Miville-Dechêne - Independent Senators Group (Inkerman-Quebec) (Deputy Chair)

Julie Miville-Dechêne

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Since her appointment to the Senate in June 2018, Senator Miville-Dechêne has introduced two Senate public bills: Bill S-211, a bill against forced labour and child labour in supply chains; and Bill S-210 that would require the implementation of age verification methods online to protect minors from exposure to online pornography.

She is vice-chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications.

Julie Miville-Dechêne had a long career in the public service sector where her talent as a skilled communicator shone through.

Very early on, she devoted herself to journalism, a career that would take her across Quebec, Canada, and the United States for more than 25 years, and through which she would meet people from every culture and background. Julie Miville-Dechêne was a correspondent for CBC-Radio-Canada television in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Washington. She covered the constitutional talks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the US intervention in Haiti to name a few.

In 2007, she became the first woman ombudsman of Radio-Canada, an experience that helped her gain solid expertise in ethics. These public decisions took a good hard look at the mechanics of journalism and exposed mistakes or bias.

In 2011, Julie Miville-Dechêne was named Chair of the Quebec government’s Conseil du statut de la femme. For five years, she modernized the institution by making it relevant for young women. She also used her independence to raise the profile of the institution and to speak publicly on the major issues affecting women, including sexual violence, and by taking part in field research. Under her leadership, the Conseil published noteworthy papers on prostitution, honour-based violence, and surrogate mothers. She expressed serious concerns about the government’s secularism charter in 2013.

In 2016, she made the jump to diplomacy, successively serving as the Quebec representative as part of the Permanent Delegation of Canada to UNESCO, then as the Quebec government envoy for human rights and freedoms.

In 2008, she was the recipient of the Reconnaissance UQAM Award for her exceptional contribution to the development of her profession. In 2005, she received the Raymond-Charette Award for exceptional quality of French in broadcast journalism. In 2002, she won the New York Festivals International Advertising Award for her report on children and terrorism, Les enfants et le terrorisme.

Ms. Miville-Dechêne holds a graduate degree in conflict prevention and resolution from the Université de Sherbrooke, a Master’s Degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York, and a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Senator Miville-Dechêne is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, and a founding member of the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians (CAFP).

In addition to her senatorial duties, Senator Miville-Dechêne is a volunteer administrator at two non-profits organizations (NPO): Share the Warmth and Informed Opinions.

René Cormier - Independent Senators Group (New Brunswick)

René Cormier

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

The Honourable René Cormier joined the Senate of Canada on November 15, 2016, as an independent senator from New Brunswick.

A committed man of action, Senator Cormier has a long track record in the field of arts and culture. Educated in music at l’Université du Québec à Montréal and in theatre at l’École internationale Jacques LeCoq, in Paris, this multidisciplinary artist has held a number of positions within Canada’s cultural ecosystem, including that of artistic director, director, actor, musician, composer, cultural manager, and announcer.

Throughout his career, he has led countless cultural organizations and events, including providing direction for and presenting a number of variety shows on Radio-Canada television, providing artistic and general direction at the Théâtre populaire d’Acadie, artistic direction for the National Arts Centre biennial Zones Théâtrales, artistic direction for the 2009 Congrès mondial acadien, and management of the États généraux des arts et de la culture dans la société acadienne au Nouveau-Brunswick within the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB). In that role, Senator Cormier worked tirelessly with his colleagues on bringing together various linguistic and cultural communities in his native province.

A renowned leader, Senator Cormier worked for nearly forty years to ensure that arts and culture play a bigger role in every aspect of Acadian and Canadian society. He has chaired a number of national and international organizations, including the Commission internationale du théâtre francophone (CITF), the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF), the Association des théâtres francophones du Canada (ATFC), and the New Brunswick Arts Board. He has also sat on a number of boards of directors, including that of TV5 Québec-Canada, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, and the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival.

A lifelong Acadian activist, from June 2015 until his appointment to the Upper Chamber, Senator Cormier presided over the Société Nationale de l’Acadie (SNA), the representative organization for the Acadian people in Atlantic Canada, nationally and internationally.

Senator Cormier is recognized for his integrity, his professionalism, his ability to bring people together, and his motivational skills. He has earned many recognitions throughout his career, including an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from the Université de Moncton (2018), the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique (2008), the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France (2003), the Jean-Claude Marcus award for his contribution to francophone theatre in Canada (2005), the Éloize award for theatre artist of the year (2000), and the Economic Council of New Brunswick manager of the year award in 2000.

Since his arrival in the Upper Chamber, Senator Cormier has demonstrated a strong commitment to language rights, human rights and cultural diplomacy. He currently chairs the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages and is also a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications and the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

The Honourable René Cormier is actively involved in parliamentary associations, interparliamentary groups and friendship groups. In particular, he is Vice-Chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association and Vice-Chair of the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association. In addition, he serves as the second Vice-President for North America of the Executive Committee of the Open Parliament Network of ParlAmericas and he is on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas.

Senator René Cormier lives in Caraquet, New Brunswick, a vibrant Acadian municipality known as the cultural capital of Acadie.

Donna Dasko - Independent Senators Group (Ontario)

Donna Dasko

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Donna Dasko was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 6, 2018.

She is a respected national pollster, media commentator, and private sector business leader with considerable public policy experience. She holds a Ph.D. and MA from the University of Toronto and a BA (Hons) from the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Dasko was formerly Senior Vice-President of Environics Research Group Ltd, and built the firm from a small consultancy into one of Canada’s leading research firms. During her career, she led major research studies for federal and provincial departments and agencies, private sector clients, and NGOs, in areas including the economy, budget priorities, tobacco control, health promotion, national unity, and many others. She was a leader in developing media-sponsored polling including the Globe-Environics Poll and election and special feature polling for the CBC.

As a community volunteer, she served in many roles including President of St. Stephen’s Community House, Director of the United Way of Greater Toronto, Governor of the Canadian Unity Council (devoted to Canadian unity and federalism), Chair of the National CEO Roundtable for the Alzheimer Society, and Advisor to GreenPac (which promotes environmental leadership).

Dr. Dasko’s passion for the promotion of women in politics has guided much of her advocacy. She is a Co-Founder and former National Chair of Equal Voice, a non-partisan organization aimed at electing more women in Canada. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), which promotes equality rights for women. In 2015, she co-founded the Campaign for an Equal Senate for Canada, an initiative to promote a gender-equal Senate. She works with National Democratic Institute on issues related to women in politics internationally.

She is a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and taught in its Master’s program before her Senate appointment. She is a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Social Conditions.

Dr. Dasko was born and raised in Winnipeg. She has two children, a daughter and son.

Paula Simons - Independent Senators Group (Alberta)

Paula Simons

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Paula Simons was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2018, after a long and distinguished career as one of western Canada’s most acclaimed journalists.

She has been a radio documentary-maker, a playwright, and an author of popular history, but she is best known for her work as a political columnist and reporter with the Edmonton Journal.

Over the course of her 23 years at the paper, Senator Simons earned two National Newspaper Awards, one for investigative journalism and one for column writing. She earned a further six National Newspaper Award citations of merit for her columns and editorials on Alberta politics.

Her work has also been recognized with awards from the UNESCO Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, Journalists for Human Rights, the Society for Features Journalism, the Alberta Centre for Civil Liberties Research, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Edmonton Historical Board.

In 2021, she was nominated for her first National Magazine Award, for her regular column, On Second Thought, which appears in Alberta Views Magazine. She is also the host of her own political podcast, Alberta Unbound.

Senator Simons is the deputy chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, and a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Transportation and Communications. She has also served as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources.

Born and raised in Edmonton, Senator Simons holds a B.A. Honours degree from the University of Alberta, and a Master’s degree from Stanford University.

Bernadette Clement - Independent Senators Group (Ontario)

Bernadette Clement

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Bernadette Clement is a legal aid lawyer and politician. She was the first woman to be elected as mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, and the first Black woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario. Prior to this, she served three terms as a city councillor.

Senator Clement is proud of her complex intersectional identity: her francophone mother grew up in Manitoba and her centenarian anglophone father grew up in Trinidad. As a bilingual Canadian, Senator Clement is a proud advocate for this country’s linguistic plurality – French, English, and Indigenous language rights and revitalization.

She is currently a member of the Standing Senate Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Transport and Communications, and Official Languages. She previously served on the Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures, and the Rights of Parliament.

A passionate speaker, Bernadette intervenes in committee study and Senate debate most often in defense of marginalized groups, which she consults regularly. She is also eager to connect youth and other Canadians with the Senate through social media, community events, and speaking engagements.

Senator Clement joined the Independent Senators Group after her appointment, and since December 2022, has served as Chamber Coordinator. This demanding role combines her interests in rules and procedure with her love of politics.

Bernadette holds degrees in Civil Law and Common Law from the University of Ottawa. In 1991, after being called to the Bar of Ontario, she moved to Cornwall and started her legal career with the non-profit corporation Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic, where she still works part-time today. She worked as a lawyer, before serving as Deputy Director for 16 years, and Executive Director for four years.

Senator Clement continues to practice law, focusing on representing injured workers. She is an ardent advocate for marginalized groups and, over the course of her career, has extended her work to volunteering with Maison Baldwin House, Kinsmen Community Residence, Cornwall and District Immigrant Services Agency, and Inspire Community Support Services.

Bernadette also taught Ethics and Legalities to health care students at St. Lawrence College from 2001 to 2005. She is a member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario and the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Law Association. She is a recipient of a Cornwall District and Labour Council award for outstanding service to injured workers and a Legal Aid Ontario GEM award for outstanding achievement.

Senator Clement was appointed to the Senate on June 22, 2021, representing Ontario. She lives in Cornwall, Ontario, where she remains connected with her community.

Andrew Cardozo - Progressive Senators Group (Ontario)

Andrew Cardozo

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Senator Andrew Cardozo is a recognized expert on public policy, a columnist, and an artist. His policy areas of expertise span Canadian government and politics, broadcasting and cultural policy, skills development especially the future of work, multiculturalism and diversity.

He was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2022, before which he was the President and co-founder of the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy. Over the past decade he worked to elevate open public policy dialogue by bringing together thought leaders from all political backgrounds, from business, labour, NGOs and the broader public to address the major challenges facing Canadian society. Prior to that he has been Executive Director of the Alliance of Sector Councils working on skills development across some 30 economic sectors, and Executive Director of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, where he worked on policies and legislation in employment equity, immigration, multiculturalism and the Canadian constitution.

Senator Cardozo has been a columnist for the Toronto Star and Broadcast Dialogue, and since 2014, a regular contributor to the Hill Times. He was also an Adjunct Professor and Lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University.

He has served as a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) where he championed Canadian content, diversity in broadcasting, and played a key role in the licensing of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Since then, he has volunteered as an adjudicator for the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

Senator Cardozo was a stay-at-home dad when his children were young. An immigrant from South Asia, with origins in Goa, India and Karachi, Pakistan, he has worked on the successful integration of diversity issues in the mainstream of Canadian public policy. He was a board member of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants (Ottawa), the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region, Media Awareness Network, the Institute of Media Arts, Policy and Civil Society (Vancouver) and has been active with Big Brothers Big Sisters (Ottawa).

He has been the recipient of several awards: the 2023 DreamKeepers Citation for Outstanding Leadership award commemorating the historic role of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, the Reelworld Film Festival Guardian Angel Award (Toronto), le Prix annuel du Centre de recherche-action sur les relations sociales, CRARR (Montreal), and Big Brother of the Year (Ottawa).

Senator Cardozo holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from York University and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton University. He has also studied art at the Ottawa School of Art and is an accomplished artist, generally of abstract landscapes and has been featured in several art shows in the Ottawa area, while his art hangs in many countries. He has two adult children who live and work in Ottawa.

Fabian Manning - Conservative Party of Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Fabian Manning

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Fabian Manning has dedicated his career to serving Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at all three levels of government. A three term councillor in the town of St. Brides, Mr. Manning served as coordinator for the Cape Shore Area Development Association for three years. Mr. Manning would go on to win three elections to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as the representative for Placentia – St. Mary’s. Mr. Manning was subsequently elected as Member of Parliament in the federal constituency of Avalon in the 2006 Federal Election campaign. Mr. Manning would go on to chair both the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans as well as the Conservative Government’s Atlantic caucus.

Peter Harder - Pogressive Senate Group (Ontario)

Peter Harder

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Peter Harder entered the Upper Chamber in April 2016, as the first Independent Senator appointed under a new non-partisan selection process that invites all eligible Canadians to submit applications. He arrived in the Senate with nearly 30 years of experience in the federal public service, and a decade serving as a volunteer in various organizations and as a member of several boards of directors. He also served as president of the Canada China Business Council.

He served as Government Representative in the Senate from April 2016 to January 2020, tasked with both shepherding government legislation through the Upper Chamber and leading efforts on reform towards a more independent, accountable and transparent institution.

Senator Harder was born in Winnipeg but grew up in Vineland, Ont., in the Niagara Region. His parents, refugees from the former USSR, owned a local grocery store where he worked as a teen. He studied political science at the University of Waterloo before moving to Ottawa to work as a Parliamentary intern. After completing graduate studies at Queen’s University, he joined the foreign service in 1977, and soon after served as an assistant to then-minister Flora MacDonald. He then served as chief of staff to the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, then leader of the opposition and, subsequently, the deputy prime minister in the first government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Senator Harder served as the founding executive director of the Immigration and Refugee Board. He was first appointed as deputy minister in 1991 – a role he eventually would play under five different prime ministers and 12 ministers, including in the departments of immigration, public safety, industry, the treasury board and foreign affairs. As a former senior official who frequently appeared before Senate committees, he has often noted the quality of the questions posed by Senators, and their deep commitment towards conducting in-depth examinations of proposed legislation. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, classical music and working out.

Jim Quinn - Canadian Senators Group (New Brunswick)

Jim Quinn

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

Jim was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer of Saint John Port Authority in September 2010. Jim brought over 30 years of experience in the marine and public sectors to Port Saint John where he began his career on Coast Guard (CG) ships and oil tanker ships in 1973. In 1981 he rejoined the CG and in 1982 Jim moved to the CG headquarters in Ottawa where he was promoted to leadership positions including Regional Director of the Central and Arctic Region and Director General, Marine Programs. Jim’s Coast Guard experience took him to ports across Canada and around the world.

After 23 years with the Coast Guard, Jim joined the Privy Council Office’s Machinery of Government Secretariat and Social Development Policy Secretariat as a Senior Advisor. In 2002, Jim joined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada as Director General of Lands and was promoted through several leadership positions culminating in the Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Deputy Minster role. Jim also held the position of Chief Financial Officer at the Canadian International Development Agency before leaving government to work at Port Saint John.

Jim is a graduate of Dalhousie University (BSc) and holds the professional designation of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) – Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

From 2019-2021, Jim served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Association of Canada Port Authorities (ACPA). Jim served for several years as Chair of the Canadian Delegation at the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and served as Chairman of the Board for 2015-2016.

From 2012-2021 Jim served as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel for the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (The Loyal Company), 5th division army. He was involved in a number of business committees in Saint John including serving as Board Chairperson in 2018-2019 for the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Saint John and being an active volunteer on the Board of Directors for the Saint John Seafarers Mission from 2010-2021. Jim remains active in poverty reduction and youth employment activities in his local community.

Pamela Wallin - Canadian Senators Group (Saskatchewan)

Pamela Wallin

Biography (taken from the Senate website):

The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M. was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 22, 2008. She sits as an Independent Senator from Saskatchewan. Pamela is an Officer of the Order of Canada, this country’s highest civilian honour (2007) and a member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (1999). She has fourteen Honourary Doctorates and was named to the Canadian Broadcasting Hall of Fame. She is also a former Chancellor of the University of Guelph.

Pamela served as Canada’s Consul General in New York from 2002-2006, in the wake of the tragic and tumultuous events of 9/11. She was then named to the Special Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan who successfully recommended support and airlift for our service men and women. She is committed to building and enhancing the military/civilian understanding and continues to work with veterans.

She is an active volunteer, and has been recognized by Queen Elizabeth II for her public service and numerous achievements. She is the author of three best-selling books.

The wide-ranging career of the journalist, diplomat, entrepreneur and Senator has spanned more than nearly 40 years, several continents, and always with a focus on politics and foreign policy.

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