2. Committee biographies

Julie Miville-Dechêne was a journalist, a senior public servant, and is a strong voice for gender equality and women’s rights. She holds a graduate degree in conflict prevention and resolution from the Université de Sherbrooke, a Master’s Degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in political science from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

For more than 25 years, Senator Miville-Dechêne was a journalist at Radio-Canada, working as a news service and public affairs program correspondent in Washington, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal. In 2007, she became the first woman appointed to the position of ombudsman for Radio-Canada.

In 2011, she was named Chair of the Quebec government’s Conseil du statut de la femme. In that capacity, she advised the government and contributed to numerous research reports on gender equality issues. Senator Miville-Dechêne then served as the Quebec’s representative in the Permanent Delegation of Canada to UNESCO, and was appointed by the Quebec government as envoy for human rights and freedoms in 2017.

Senator Miville-Dechêne is the recipient of the Reconnaissance UQAM Award, the Raymond-Charette Award for the exceptional quality of her French in broadcast journalism, and the New York Festivals Award for her report on children and terrorism, Les enfants et le terrorisme.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Supply chain resiliency
• Reducing the environmental impact of Canada’s transportation sector
• Journalism
• Gender equality
• Women’s rights

The Honourable René Cormier joined the Senate of Canada on November 15, 2016, as an independent, non-partisan senator from New Brunswick. He has extensive professional experience in 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. 

Senator Cormier has been working for nearly 40 years to ensure that arts and culture are better integrated in every aspect of Acadian and Canadian society. He has provided direction for and presenting a number of variety shows on Radio-Canada television in addition to roles at the Théâtre populaire d’Acadie, the National Arts Centre, 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).

Senator Cormier has also 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 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 has earned many recognitions throughout his career including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de France (2003), the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique (2008), the Éloize award for theatre artist of the year (2000), the Jean-Claude Marcus award for his contribution to francophone theatre in Canada, and the Economic Council of New Brunswick manager of the year award in 2000.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Transparency by the Government
• Electrification of the transportation sector
• Impact of climate change on rural communities
• Arts and Culture
• Acadian activist

Donna Dasko is a respected national pollster, media commentator, sociologist, and private sector business leader with considerable public policy experience. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Master of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba.

Senator Dasko was formerly Senior Vice-President of Environics Research Group Ltd., and built the firm from a small consultancy to one of Canada’s leading research firms. During her career, she led major research studies 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.

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).

Senator 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 currently a Fellow at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance and teaches in the Master’s program. She is a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Social Conditions.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
• Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Reducing the environmental impact of Canada’s transportation sector
• The promotion of women in politics
• Environmental leadership

As a gifted storyteller, Paula Simons has told Edmonton’s stories in print, on the radio, on television, and on stage for over 30 years.

A political columnist with the Edmonton Journal, in her various journalistic capacities throughout the years, she has been a member of the Alberta Press Gallery, a member of the Journal editorial board, and has written on a collection of topics that include public transit, finances, Supreme Court rulings, international trade, the arts, and mental health.

Senator Simons also has experience as a producer with CBC Radio, both in Edmonton and Toronto, and as a freelance magazine writer, documentary maker, and political analyst. She is the co-author of the best-selling popular history book, Alberta: 100 Years a Home, and the children’s play, Onions and Garlic.

She realizes the importance of giving back to the community. She is currently a volunteer mentor with the Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta and has been a long-time volunteer with the Alberta Debate and Speech Association.

Senator Simons’ long career in journalism has been highlighted by her many awards, including multiple National Newspaper Awards, the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre’s Civil Liberties Award for her writing on LGBTQ rights, and two Michener Award citations for merit for public service journalism for her role in Journal investigations of Alberta’s Indigenous child welfare system.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Spearheaded the Senate municipal working group
• Supply chain resiliency
• Role of low-Earth orbit satellites and undersea cables to enhance resiliency
• Additional financial support for airport authorities
• Rail disruptions
• Impact of climate change on critical infrastructure
• Labour shortages in the transportation sector

Bernadette Clement is a lawyer and politician, who served as Mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, from 2018 to 2021. Senator Clement was the first woman to be elected as Mayor of Cornwall and the first Black woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario. Prior to this, she served three terms as city councillor. She is very proud of the fact that her mother, who passed away in 2021, grew up in Manitoba as a Francophone and her father, grew up in Trinidad, and that she reflects both Canada’s diversity as well as its linguistic duality.

In 1991, after being called to the Bar of Ontario, Senator Clement started her legal career with the non-profit corporation Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic, where she still works today. She worked as a lawyer, before serving as Deputy Director for 16 years. She has been the Executive Director since 2017 and, in this role, she continues to practise law focused on representing injured workers and has been an ardent advocate for those less privileged in society. She also taught Ethics and Legalities to health care students part-time 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.

Along with her participation on numerous Cornwall City Council committees, including the St. Lawrence River Institute, Senator Clement has been active in her community. She has been co-chairing the Race Equity Advisory Committee for the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario since 2020, and served as member and Chair of the Maison Baldwin House, a women's shelter, for approximately 15 years. She also volunteered with the Kinsmen Community Residence and the Cornwall and District Immigrant Services Agency, and was a member and the Chair, for over 20 years of Inspire Community Support Services, a counselling agency providing support for families and persons with disabilities.

Senator Clement 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.

She holds degrees in Civil Law and Common Law from the University of Ottawa.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
• Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Impact of climate change on critical infrastructure
• Importance of diversity in decision-making bodies
• Supply chain resiliency
• Importance of collaboration and communication between the federal, provincial and municipal governments
• Integration of Immigrants
• German-Canadian relations

Leo Housakos was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2008. In 2014 he was elected Speaker pro tempore before being named Speaker of the Senate on May 4, 2015. As Speaker, Senator Housakos met with several foreign heads of state, diplomats and dignitaries at home and abroad and he had the pleasure of speaking at the United Nations in New York City.

In his tenure, he has served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, which was at the forefront of the Senate’s modernization in recent years. One of his proudest achievements in the Senate, was the passing of a bill, of which he was the sponsor, calling for a national framework for post-traumatic stress disorder amongst first responders.

Over the years, Senator Housakos has and 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, which provides education and services for autistic children and their families.

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 Metropolitain Montreal. Following university, he worked 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.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications
• Standing Senate Selection Committee

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Public health measures imposed due to COVID-19
• Public policy
• Modernization of the transportation sector
• Senate modernization

Fabian Manning has dedicated his career to serving Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at all three levels of government. A three-term councilor in the town of St. Brides, Senator Manning served as coordinator for the Cape Shore Area Development Association for three years. Senator Manning would go on to win three elections to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly as the representative for Placentia – St. Mary’s. He was subsequently elected as Member of Parliament in the federal constituency of Avalon in the 2006 Federal Election campaign.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Supporting Newfoundlanders and Labradorians 

Pamela Wallin was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2008. She 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.

Senator Wallin 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 40 years, several continents, and always with a focus on politics and foreign policy.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications
• Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Importance of infrastructure investments
• Politics and foreign policy
• Airport delays

Jim Quinn was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer of Saint John Port Authority in September 2010. Senator Quinn 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 he 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. Senator Quinn’s Coast Guard experience took him to ports across Canada and around the world.

After 23 years with the Coast Guard, he joined the Privy Council Office’s Machinery of Government Secretariat and Social Development Policy Secretariat as a Senior Advisor. In 2002, Senator Quinn 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. He also held the position of Chief Financial Officer at the Canadian International Development Agency before leaving government to work at Port Saint John.

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

From 2019-2021, he served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Association of Canada Port Authorities (ACPA). He served for several years as Chair of the Canadian Delegation at the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and was appointed Chairman of the Board for 2015-2016. Additionally, Senator Quinn is pleased to serve as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel for the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (The Loyal Company), 5th division army. He is involved in a number of business committees in Saint John including several years as a Board member of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Saint John, serving as Board Chairperson in 2018-2019. He has been an active volunteer in his community including as a Board member of the Board of Directors for the Saint John Seafarers Mission from 2010-2021.

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
• Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Port modernization
• Supply chain resiliency
• Funding for intra-provincial ferries in New Brunswick
• Isthmus of Chignecto
• Streamlining the regulatory process
• Reform of the procurement process
• Integrating climate impact analyses in Government decision-making

Andrew Cardozo was President and co-founder of the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy prior to his appointment to the Senate in November 2022.  Senator Cardozo is recognized as an expert on public policy in areas such as Canadian government and politics, broadcasting and cultural policy, skills development especially the future of work, multiculturalism and diversity.

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.

Through his career in the realm of public policy Senator Cardozo has worked to elevate open public policy dialogue, including his time as 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. He was also an Adjunct Professor and Lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University and has served as 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).

Senator Cardozo is a recognized columnist whose work has been published in the Toronto Star and Broadcast Dialogue, and since 2014, has been a regular contributor to the Hill Times.  He is also an accomplished artist, generally of abstract landscapes whose work has been featured in several art shows in the Ottawa area.

He is an immigrant from South Asia, with origins in Goa, India and Karachi, Pakistan. 

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Rural issues

Peter Harder was appointed to the Senate in 2016 and served as the Government Representative in the Senate from 2016 to 2000. Prior to his time in the Senate, he enjoyed a distinguished career of nearly 30 years in the federal public service, including as Deputy Minister under five different prime ministers and 12 ministers in the departments of immigration, public safety, industry, the treasury board and foreign affairs.

Senator Harder was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and grew up in the Niagara Region in Ontario.  He studied political science at the University of Waterloo and went on to complete graduate studies at Queens University after which he joined the foreign service. 

He has been an active volunteer in various groups and on several boards of directors.  He was also a past president of the Canada China Business Council. 

Senator Harder stepped down as Government Representative in the Senate in December 2019 and joined the Progressive Senate Group in 2000. 

Member of the following Committee(s):

• Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Deputy Chair)
• Senate Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators
• Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency
• Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications

Issues raised relating to the Transport Canada portfolio:

• Net-zero emissions and low-carbon economy
• Improving delivery of federal government services