Paulette Senior (born 1961or1962) [1] is a Canadian senator representing Ontario and an executive in the non-profit sector. At the time of her appointment to the Senate, she was CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation and was previously CEO of YWCA Canada. She has a bachelor of arts in psychology and urban studies from York University. Senior was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Justin Trudeau on December 20, 2023. [2] [3]
Senior was an unsuccessful candidate for the Ontario New Democratic Party in the 1999 Ontario general election in Scarborough—Rouge River and for the New Democratic Party of Canada in the federal Scarborough—Rouge River riding in the 2000 Canadian federal election. [4] She also ran unsuccessfully for Toronto city council in Ward 42 in the 2003 Toronto municipal election.
The Conservative Party of Canada, colloquially known as the Tories or simply the Conservatives, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance, the latter being the successor of the Western Canadian–based Reform Party. The party sits at the centre-right to the right of the Canadian political spectrum, with their federal rival, the centre-left Liberal Party of Canada, positioned to their left. The Conservatives are defined as a "big tent" party, practising "brokerage politics" and welcoming a broad variety of members, including "Red Tories" and "Blue Tories".
Raymond Sung Joon Cho is a Canadian politician who has served as the Ontario minister of seniors and accessibility since June 29, 2018. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Cho has sat as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) since 2016. He currently represents Scarborough North, and is the Legislative Assembly's oldest sitting MPP. Cho's over 30-year long political career began in 1991 when he was first elected to the Metro Toronto Council. Following amalgamation in 1998, Cho ran for Toronto City Council, where he re-elected eight times until resigning in 2016 following a successful run for Scarborough—Rouge River in a provincial by-election. Prior to entering politics, Cho worked as a social worker.
Gerald Michael Butts is a Canadian political consultant who served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from November 4, 2015 until his resignation on February 18, 2019. From 2008 to 2012, he was president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada, part of a global conservation organization. In 2014, Maclean's magazine declared Butts to be the fourteenth most powerful Canadian. As the former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Butts was praised as the architect behind the Liberal Party of Canada platform that led to its victory in October 2015 and was one of the most senior staffers in the Office of the Prime Minister, along with Katie Telford.
Frances Lankin,, is a former Canadian senator, former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012, she co-chaired a government commission review of social assistance in Ontario. From 2009 to 2016, she was a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.
James S. Cowan is a Canadian lawyer, a senator from Nova Scotia from 2005 to 2017, and was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 2008 to 2015 and leader of the Independent Liberal caucus until June 15, 2016. Cowan was a lawyer and a partner at the legal firm Stewart McKelvey from 1967 until 2020. He retired from the senate on January 22, 2017, having reached the mandatory retirement age for senators.
Thomas Leonard "Tom" Wells was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party from 1963 to 1985 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts and William Davis. There is also a school in Scarborough, Ontario named after him.
The 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was held on 23 June 1990 at the Olympic Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. The party chose former Deputy Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as its new leader, replacing the outgoing leader, former Prime Minister John Turner.
Bas Balkissoon is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2005 to 2016 who represented the riding of Scarborough—Rouge River. From 1988 to 1997 he was a municipal councillor in Scarborough and from 1998 to 2005 he was a councillor in the amalgamated city of Toronto.
Rathika Sitsabaiesan is a former Canadian politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for Scarborough—Rouge River from 2011 to 2015 as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). Sitsabaiesan is the first Tamil to be elected to the House of Commons.
The 2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was triggered by Michael Ignatieff's announcement on May 3, 2011, of his intention to resign as leader following the party's defeat in the 2011 federal election. On May 25, 2011, Bob Rae was appointed by Liberal caucus as interim leader. The party announced Justin Trudeau as its new leader on April 14, 2013, in Ottawa, Ontario.
Mitzie Jacquelin Hunter is a Canadian politician who represented Scarborough—Guildwood as a member of provincial parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, Hunter was a provincial cabinet minister from 2014 to 2018 and was the deputy leader of the party from 2022 to 2023. She resigned from the Ontario legislature on May 10, 2023, in order to be a candidate for mayor of Toronto in the 2023 by-election, in which she placed sixth with 2.9% of the vote. She is currently President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation.
Salma Zahid is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding of Scarborough Centre during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She succeeded the Conservative Roxanne James.
Sathiyasangaree "Gary" Anandasangaree is a Tamil Canadian politician and a lawyer who has served as the Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations since July 2023. He is the second Canadian federal minister of Tamil descent to hold office, following Anita Anand. He was elected to represent the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.
V. Peter Harder is a former Canadian senior civil servant who was named to the Senate of Canada to represent Ontario on March 23, 2016, after the Prime Minister had announced his intention to recommend his appointment on March 18, 2016. He served as Representative of the Government in the Senate from 2016 to 2019.
Neethan Shanmugarajah (Neethan Shan) (Tamil: நீதன் சண்முகராஜா, romanized: Nītaṉ Caṇmukarājā; born December 24, 1978), is a Canadian politician who represented Ward 42 Scarborough—Rouge River on Toronto City Council from February 2017 to November 2018. Shan was the first Tamil Canadian to sit on Toronto's City Council. Shan is currently the Chair of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Shan was elected to the TDSB in 2016 and again in 2022. Shan has sought public office 13 times since 2003; 8 of which were municipally and provincially, 5. He won 4 times: YRDSB Trustee in 2006, TDSB Trustee in 2016, Toronto City Councillor in 2017 and TDSB Trustee in 2022.
Mary Ng is a Canadian politician serving as Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development since 2018. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she has been the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Markham—Thornhill since a by-election on April 3, 2017.
Bernadette Clement is a Canadian politician, who was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau on June 22, 2021. She was previously mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, having been elected in the 2018 Ontario municipal elections, after serving three terms as a municipal councillor. A Black Canadian, she is the first woman and first person of colour to serve as mayor of the city, and the first Black Canadian woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario.
The 43rd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 5, 2019, to August 15, 2021, with the membership of its Lower House, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2019 federal election held on October 21, 2019. Parliament officially resumed on December 5, 2019, with the election of a new Speaker, Anthony Rota, followed by a speech from the throne the following day. On August 15, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advised Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament and issue the writ of election, leading to a 5-week election campaign period for the 2021 federal election.
Leslyn Ann Lewis is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand—Norfolk since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, Lewis contested the party leadership in the 2020 leadership election, placing third. She was the first visible minority woman to run for the federal Conservative Party leadership. She is known for her socially conservative views.
Melissa Lantsman is a Canadian politician and former public relations executive who serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Thornhill since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, she is the party's co-deputy leader and the co-deputy leader of the Official Opposition, serving with Tim Uppal. Lantsman is the first openly gay and first Jewish woman ever elected as a Conservative MP. Upon Pierre Poilievre's election as Conservative Leader, he named Lantsman one of two deputy leaders along with Uppal.