The Senate of Canada is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons,they compose the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3,2006 until September 7,2008. The membership was set by the 2006 federal election on January 23,2006,and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections. The Parliament was dissolved on September 7,2008,with an election to determine the membership of the 40th Parliament occurring on October 14,2008.
James Colin Ramsey Kenny is a former Canadian Senator. A member of the Liberal Party,he was appointed to the Senate in 1984 by Pierre Trudeau to represent the Rideau region of Ontario.
Charlie Watt is a former Canadian Senator from Nunavik,Quebec.
Thomas Benjamin Banks was a Canadian pianist,conductor,arranger,composer,television personality and senator.
Fabian Manning is a politician in Newfoundland and Labrador,Canada. Manning served as a Progressive Conservative and later as the independent Member of the House of Assembly for the district of Placentia and St. Mary’s from 1999 to 2005. From 2006 to 2008 he was the Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the riding of Avalon. After his defeat in the 2008 federal election Manning was appointed to the Senate of Canada on January 2,2009,he resigned his Senate seat on March 28,2011,to run for election in his former riding of Avalon in the 2011 federal election,but was unsuccessful. Prime Minister Stephen Harper re-appointed Manning to the Senate on May 25,2011.
David Sweet is a former Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2006 to 2021. He represented the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale from 2006 to 2015 and,following the 2012 federal electoral district redistribution,he represented the riding of Flamborough—Glanbrook from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Conservative Party,he served as the Shadow Minister for International Rights and Religious Freedom from 2019 to 2020. Throughout his tenure,Sweet served as chair and vice chair for a number of committees. During the 42nd Canadian Parliament,he served as the chair of the Conservative Party's parliamentary national caucus.
The 40th Canadian Parliament was in session from November 18,2008 to March 26,2011. It was the last Parliament of the longest-running minority government in Canadian history that began with the previous Parliament. The membership of its House of Commons was determined by the results of the 2008 federal election held on October 14,2008. Its first session was then prorogued by the Governor General on December 4,2008,at the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper,who was facing a likely no-confidence motion and a coalition agreement between the Liberal party and the New Democratic Party with the support of the Bloc Québécois. Of the 308 MPs elected at the October 14,2008 general election,64 were new to Parliament and three sat in Parliaments previous to the 39th:John Duncan,Jack Harris and Roger Pomerleau.
The 41st Canadian Parliament was in session from June 2,2011 to August 2,2015,with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2,2011. Parliament convened on June 2,2011,with the election of Andrew Scheer as Speaker,followed the next day with the Speech from the Throne. There were two sessions in this Parliament. On August 2,2015,Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and issue the writ of election,leading to an 11-week election campaign period for the 2015 federal election. Significant legislation adopted during the 41st Parliament included the Copyright Modernization Act,the Safe Streets and Communities Act,the Jobs,Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act,the Jobs and Growth Act and the Fair Elections Act.
The Canadian Senate expenses scandal,also known as Duffygate,was a political scandal concerning the expense claims of certain Canadian senators which began in late 2012. Senators Patrick Brazeau,Mike Duffy,Mac Harb,and Pamela Wallin claimed travel and living allowance expenses from the Senate for which they were not eligible. Deloitte LLP was retained to provide the Senate with an independent examination of the expense claims. Duffy,Harb,and Wallin repaid ineligible amounts. Harb retired a few months into the scandal,and in November 2013,Brazeau,Duffy,and Wallin were suspended from the Senate without pay. Brazeau,Duffy,and Harb were criminally charged. On April 21,2016,Duffy was acquitted on all charges. Charges against Harb were withdrawn and no charges were to be laid against Wallin. The scandal attracted much public attention,with as many as 73% of Canadians following it closely. Many said that the scandal impacted the 2015 Canadian general election.
Michael Cooper is the Conservative Member of Parliament for St. Albert—Edmonton. First elected in 2015,Michael was re-elected in 2019,and again in 2021. Michael serves as the Shadow Minister for Democratic Reform,and as a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Michael is a lifelong resident of St. Albert and an active community volunteer. He is a Lector at St. Albert Catholic Parish and a member of the Knights of Columbus,St. Albert Rotary Club and the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the University of Alberta,Michael received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws,both with distinction. He was called to the Alberta Bar in 2010. Prior to being elected Michael worked as a civil litigator at a leading Edmonton law firm.
The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3,2015,to September 11,2019,with the membership of its lower chamber,the House of Commons of Canada,having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on October 19,2015,and thirty new appointees to its Upper House,the Senate of Canada. Parliament officially resumed on December 3,2015,with the election of a new Speaker,Geoff Regan,followed by a Speech from the Throne the following day. The Speaker of the Senate of Canada was George Furey,who was appointed Speaker of the Canadian Senate on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,to replace Leo Housakos,on December 3,2015. On September 11,2019,Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advised Governor General Julie Payette to dissolve Parliament and issue the writ of election,leading to a 5-week election campaign period for the 2019 federal election. Significant legislation adopted during the 42nd Parliament included the Cannabis Act,the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act,the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act,the Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act,the Canada Infrastructure Bank Act,the Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act,as well as the legalizing of medical assistance in dying and adding gender identity and expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Cheryl Hardcastle is a Canadian politician and former member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada for the federal electoral district of Windsor—Tecumseh,first elected during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the New Democratic Party. During the 42nd Canadian Parliament,NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair appointed Hardcastle to be the party's critic for Sports and Persons with Disabilities. After Mulcair was replaced Jagmeet Singh,he added "International Human Rights" to her critic duties,where she now sits as Vice-Chair to the Subcommittee for International Human Rights. She lost her re-election bid in the 2019 Canadian federal election,having come second in what was considered a surprise upset to the Liberal candidate Irek Kusmierczyk.
Bryan J. May is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Canadian federal elections to represent the electoral district of Cambridge as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada. He is a member of the Liberal Party.
Kevin Waugh is a Canadian politician and former television sports journalist. Waugh was first elected to represent the riding of Saskatoon—Grasswood in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election. During the 43rd Canadian Parliament Waugh's private member bill An Act to amend the Criminal Code was adopted to legalize betting on single sport events in Canada.
Ali Cyrus Ehsassi is a Canadian politician currently serving as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Willowdale,Ontario riding of Willowdale in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. Ehsassi's victory marked a historical milestone,as he is one of the first two Canadians of Iranian heritage to ever be elected to Canada's federal Parliament,with the other being Majid Jowhari.
Daniel Blaikie is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Elmwood—Transcona since October 19,2015. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP),he was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.
Raymonde Saint-Germain is a Canadian public servant and an independent member of the Senate of Canada. At the time of her appointment,Saint Germain was the Quebec ombudsperson. She was nominated for appointment to the Senate on November 2,2016,by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Saint-Germain assumed her office on November 25,2016. Since January 1,2022,Senator Saint-Germain has been elected Facilitator of the Independent Senators Group (ISG) in the Senate of Canada.
Sameer Zuberi MP is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the federal riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election,sitting as a member of the Liberal Party.
Valerie Bradford is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Kitchener South—Hespeler in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the Liberal Party.
