Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (DEDC)

Chair

Gwen Boniface

Senator Gwen Boniface (Ontario)

Independent Senators Group (ISG)

Senate Experience:

Roles/Committees:

Senator Boniface became the first woman Inspector in the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the first woman appointed as Commissioner of the OPP, and the first female President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. She served for three years as the Deputy Chief Inspector of Ireland’s Garda Síochána Inspectorate, tasked with bringing reform to the national police service, then took on the role of Transnational Organized Crime Expert with the United Nations Police Division, where she developed a plan to address organized crime in conflict and post-conflict countries and was a member of the UN Counter Terrorism Integrated Task Force.

Senator Boniface served as Commissioner on the Law Commission of Canada for five years, during which time she participated in independent research, study and debate on the modernization of a wide range of issues. She also served on the Board of Governors of the Law Commission of Ontario from 2011 to 2014. Senator Boniface has initiated many reforms to promote Aboriginal policing.

She is a long-time member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), where she currently serves as Deputy Executive Director. In addition, she was the founding President of the Canadian Police Chiefs International Service Agency, a non-profit organization created to address sexual exploitation of children.

Senate Deputy Chair

Claude Carignan

Senator Claude Carignan (Quebec)

Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)

Parliamentary Experience:

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The Honourable Claude Carignan, P.C., was appointed to the Senate in 2009, and was Leader of the Opposition from November 2015 to March 2017. Before he was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, in August 2013, Claude Carignan was appointed to the position of Leader of the Government in the Senate and was also a member of Cabinet until fall 2015. In May 2011, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government.

As a legislator, Senator Carignan introduced two bills in fall 2016. Bill S-230 (drug-impaired driving) passed unanimously in the Senate on December 15, 2016, but while under consideration by the House of Commons, it did not receive the support of the Liberal government in fall 2017. Also in fall 2016, Senator Carignan introduced Bill S-231 (protection of journalistic sources), which passed unanimously in the Senate and the House of Commons. The bill received Royal Assent on October 18, 2017.

Chair of the Union des municipalités du Québec’s justice and public safety commission, Claude Carignan then became that organization’s second vice-president. He was then appointed president of the Conseil sur les services policiers du Québec in 2008, an advisory body created to advise the Quebec Minister of Public Security on all policing matters.

Mr. Carignan was elected mayor of Saint-Eustache in November 2000 and served in that role for nine years. Claude Carignan holds a law degree from the Université de Sherbrooke, Quebec, and a graduate degree in public law from the Université de Montréal.

House Co-Chair

Rhéal Éloi Fortin

Rhéal Éloi Fortin (Bloc Québécois)

Rivière-du-Nord (Quebec)

Parliamentary Experience:

Roles/Committees:

Rhéal Éloi Fortin is the member of the Bloc Québécois for Rivière-du-Nord, and is a lawyer by profession. He is the president of Bissonnette Fortin Giroux, a law firm in Saint-Jérôme. He studied law at University of Sherbrooke. He has been politically active ever since high school, when he volunteered to put up lawn signs for the Parti Québécois. He ran for the Parti Québécois nomination for the election for the National Assembly of Quebec for Prévost, but lost to Gilles Robert.

In 2015 he ran for the Bloc Québécois in the riding Rivière-du-Nord and won. MP Fortin was named interim leader of the Bloc Québécois on October 22, 2015 following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe as leader after Gilles Duceppe did not win his seat in the election.

He served as interim leader of the party until the next leader, Martine Ouellet was named on March 18, 2017.  He then served as the BQ's critic for intergovernmental affairs, human rights, justice, and access to information in the House of Commons until February 2018, when he and six other Bloc MPs quit the caucus and formed the Groupe parlementaire québécois in protest of Martine Ouellet's leadership style. Mr. Fortin rejoined the Bloc Québécois on September 17, 2018.

House Co-Chair

Matthew Green

Matthew Green (NDP)

Hamilton Centre (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience:

Roles/Committees:

MP Matthew Green MP was elected in the 2019 Canadian federal election, and re-elected in 2021.  Prior to his election to the House of Commons, he was the first Black Canadian to serve on the Hamilton, Ontario City Council, where he represented Ward 3 from 2014 to 2018.

Green grew up in Hamilton, and received a degree in political science from Acadia University. He later attended McMaster University in Hamilton. First elected to the Hamilton City Council in 2014, he led the way for the city to become the first in Ontario to license and regulate payday lending. In 2018, he became the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI), a non-profit organization that promotes racial equality.

MP Green joined the NDP in 2017, after being inspired by Jagmeet Singh's stance against racial profiling. He has been a vocal opponent of police brutality, and has endorsed a nationwide ban on the use of tear gas.

Vice-Chair

Arif Virani

Arif Virani (Liberal)

Parkdale-High Park (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience:

Roles/Committees:

Arif Virani was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Parkdale—High Park in 2015. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Democratic Institutions, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism), and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Mr. Virani came to Canada as a Ugandan Asian refugee. Before entering politics, he worked as a constitutional litigator, advocating for human rights and access to justice. Mr. Virani was an analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa, an investigator at the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse in Montréal, and an assistant trial attorney prosecuting those accused of genocide at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Mr. Virani has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from McGill University, and completed his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Toronto.

Vice-Chair

Glen Motz

Glen Motz (CPC)

Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner (Alberta)

Parliamentary Experience:

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Glen Motz is a former police officer with the Medicine Hat Police Service. He has received numerous awards. Most notably, in 2012 he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for dedicated service to his peers, community and to Canada. In May 2013, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada presented him with The Order of Merit of Police Forces which was created to recognize conspicuous merit and exceptional service by members and employees of Canadian police forces whose contributions extend beyond protection of the community.

Glen Motz has volunteered on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society, as well as the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank.

Larry Brock

Larry Brock (CPC)

Brantford-Brant (Ontario)  

Parliamentary Experience:

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Larry has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo and a law degree from the University of Calgary. Before being elected, he was the Assistant Crown Attorney for Brant.

A lifelong resident of Brant, Larry has demonstrated strong leadership and commitment to family, community and public service having served as Chair of the board of the Crossing All Bridges Learning Centre which helps adults with developmental difficulties succeed in education, employment, and independent living. He was President of St. Leonard’s Community Services which provides justice, employment, youth and family, addiction, and mental health services. And in 2015 he served as Chair of the United Way campaign which raised more than $1.6 million for local charities.

Larry and his wife Angela are the proud parents of 12-year-old twin daughters Jennie and Emma, who are active members of Brantford Aquatic Club.

Yasir Naqvi

Yasir Naqvi (LPC)

Ottawa Centre (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience:

Roles/Committees:

Mr. Naqvi immigrated to Canada from Pakistan with his family in 1988. Mr. Naqvi served as a Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario for close to 11 years. During this time, he held the roles of Attorney General of Ontario, Government House Leader, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, and Minister of Labour. As a member of the Ontario legislature, he helped raise the minimum wage, ban race-based carding, and modernize the provincial court system. He was also an advocate for public services and sustainable community growth.

Mr. Naqvi served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship from 2019 to 2021. He has also practised international trade and administrative law with major law firms. He has sat on the boards of many community organizations, including OrKidstra, United Way East Ontario, and the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership.

Mr. Naqvi holds a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from McMaster University, as well as a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Carleton University. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2001 and called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2002. Mr. Naqvi has two children, Rafi and Elliana.

Rachel Bendayan

Rachel Bendayan (LPC)

Outremont (Quebec)

Parliamentary Experience:

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Ms. Bendayan has previously served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

Over a period of close to 10 years, Ms. Bendayan built a successful legal practice at Norton Rose Fulbright in the fields of litigation and international arbitration, specializing in international trade law.

Ms. Bendayan also taught at the University of Montréal’s Faculty of Law. She later served as Chief of Staff to the federal Minister of Small Business and Tourism.

Mother to a toddler and deeply engaged in her community, Ms. Bendayan has a strong connection to the families she represents in the Montréal neighbourhoods of Outremont, Mile End, and Côte‑des‑Neiges.

Peter Harder

The Honourable V. Peter Harder, P.C.  (Ontario)

Progressive Senate Group (PSG)

Senate Experience:

Roles/Committees:

Senator Harder was appointed to the Senate on March 24, 2016 and was named Government Representative in the Senate at the time. He remained in this position until January 7, 2021.

Mr. Harder spent 29 years in the federal public service, including 16 years as Deputy Minister, which included heading the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Citizenship and Immigration, Industry, Solicitor General, Public Security, and the Treasury Board Secretariat. As Deputy Minister, he oversaw the legislative process of countless bills and has appeared before standing committees of the House of Commons and the Senate.

From 2003-2007, he served as Personal Representative of the Prime Minister (Sherpa) to three G8 Summits. He is an expert on Canada-China relations and was elected President of the China-Canada Business Council in 2008.

He chaired the United Church of Canada Foundation and the Commonwealth Games Foundation. He has provided his time to several organizations and is currently involved with the National Arts Centre, the Glenn Gould Foundation, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, the Institute for Research on Public Policy, and the Advisory Committee on the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter. He was also the Royal Bank visiting Chair on Women and Work at Carleton University.

Vern White

Senator Vern White (Ontario)

Canadian Senators Group (CSG)

Parliamentary Experience:

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Born in New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Senator Vernon White holds a Doctorate in Police Leadership from Charles Sturt University, a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Acadia University, is a graduate from the National Executive Institute-FBI, has extensive education at managerial and investigational levels within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is a graduate of the RCMP Training Academy and holds a Diploma in Business Administration from the College of Cape Breton.

Senator White has worked with the RCMP, moving through the ranks from Constable to Assistant Commissioner. He has served in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and spent almost 19 years in the three northern territories. He was Chief of Police for the Durham Region as well as the City of Ottawa.

He has been an Adjunct, visiting or part-time professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Charles Sturt University, University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Simon Fraser University and Royal Roads University. He is a Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Mr. White has been honoured with a number of awards and commendations over the years, including a Commissioners Commendation, a Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and a United Way Community Builder of the Year Award. Senator White left the Conservative Senate Caucus to join the Canadian Senators Group on November 4, 2019.

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