Parliamentary Committee Notes: RIDR Committee Membership
Salma Ataullahjan (Chair)
Conservative Party of Canada
Riding: Ontario - Toronto
Appointed in 2010 by Stephen Harper (CPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
Salma Ataullahjan was born in Mardan, Pakistan. Daughter of Saranjam Khan, a former Pakistani Senator, and Granddaughter of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, leader of a non-violent Muslim movement for independence from British rule, Salma attributes her political aspirations to the environment in which she grew up.
She arrived in Canada in the early 80s, settling in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). After more than 30 years in the GTA, she has made a lasting impression in the community because of her commitment and dedication to others. A natural consensus builder, Salma has been actively involved in several community organizations. Notably, in July 2021, she joined the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) as an honourary advisor.
As the first Canadian Senator of Pakistani origin, she stands for the ethnic diversity of all Canadians.
She is committed to issues affecting women and youth, having proposed several recognized studies in the Human Rights committee - one on women’s engagement in Afghanistan, another on cyberbullying of children under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Syrian Refugee Resettlement in Canada.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Rights
Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
Sponsor of Bill S-224, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons)
Sponsor of Bill S-225, An Act to amend the Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act (investments)
Sponsor of Bill S-223, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (trafficking in human organs)
Wanda Thomas Bernard (Deputy Chair)
Progressive Senate Group
Riding: Nova Scotia (East Preston)
Appointed in 2016 by Justin Trudeau (LPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard is a highly regarded social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate of social change. She has worked in mental health at the provincial level, in rural community practice at the municipal level, and, since 1990, as a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she also served as director for a decade. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University and she is the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenure track position at Dalhousie University and to be promoted to full professor. Dr. Thomas Bernard has worked with provincial organizations to bring diversity to the political processes in Nova Scotia and teach community members about Canada’s legislative process and citizen engagement. She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW), which helps address the needs of marginalized citizens, especially those of African descent. As a former member of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and as its past Chair, was instrumental in the development of advice to ministers regarding frameworks for gender violence prevention and health equity. At the national level, she has served as a member of the National Coalition of Advisory Councils on the Status of Women. She has served as an expert witness in human rights cases and has presented at many local, national and international forums.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Deputy Chair of the Committee on Human Rights
Member of the Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
N/A
David Arnot
Independent Senators Group
Riding: Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan)
Appointed in 2011 by Justin Trudeau (LPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
David M. Arnot’s legal career serving the people of Saskatchewan started in 1976.
Mr. Arnot became Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission in 2009. Previously, he worked as the federal Treaty Commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan provincial court judge, a Crown prosecutor, and as Director General of Aboriginal Justice in the Department of Justice Canada. He is the former Chair of the Canadian Judges’ Forum of the Canadian Bar Association.
In 1993, as a judge with the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan, Mr. Arnot closely worked with the Poundmaker First Nation to pioneer the use of sentencing circles and restorative justice measures to promote healing in legal proceedings and give a voice to victims, community members, and families in the pursuit of constructive resolutions. In 2004, Mr. Arnot’s work on the “Teaching Treaties in the Classroom” project was recognized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism.
Mr. Arnot holds a Juris Doctor from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Committee on Human Rights
Member of the Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
Member of the Committee on Indigenous Peoples
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
N/A
Nancy J. Hartling
Independent Senators Group
Riding: New Brunswick (New Brunswick)
Appointed in 2016 by Justin Trudeau (LPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
Nancy Hartling has played a prominent role in promoting social change and is one of New Brunswick’s most dedicated advocates on issues affecting women. With a career focused on families and social issues, she is well versed in matters of mental health, poverty, violence against women and economic development. As a divorced mother raising two young children, she realized the need to continue her education and learned quickly about the barriers that one faces while trying to earn a living and contribute to society. She completed two university degrees and founded the non-profit organization Support to Single Parents Inc. (SSPI) of which she was the Executive Director for thirty-four years. She has advocated locally, provincially and nationally on socio-economic issues facing single parents and their children, and has spearheaded innovative programs to address the challenges for low-income single mothers. In her work, Ms. Hartling built and maintained partnerships with all levels of government, community agencies, universities and educational institutions, businesses and media. Her involvement on women’s issues has been extensive, including co-chairing the provincial Minister’s Working Group on Violence against Women, serving on the Board of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, co-chairing for New Brunswick for the Women’s World March 2000, as well as lecturing at the University of New Brunswick.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Committee on Human Rights
Member of the Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
N/A
Fabian Manning
Conservative Party of Canada
Riding: Newfoundland and Labrador (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Appointed in 2011 by Stephen Harper (CPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
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, 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.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Committee on Human Rights
Member of the Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
Member of the Committee on Transport and Communications
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
N/A
Amina Gerba
Progressive Senate Group
Riding: Quebec (Rigaud)
Appointed in 2021 by Justin Trudeau (LPC)
Preferred language: French
Biography
An entrepreneur for more than 25 years, Senator Amina Gerba was appointed Independent Senator for Quebec (Rigaud) in July 2021.
Originally from Cameroon, she worked for several Canadian companies from 1993 to 1995, focusing on market development in Africa. In 1995, she created her own consulting group, Afrique Expansion Inc., to build bridges between Canada and Africa and to promote business opportunities.
The Honourable Amina Gerba is the founder of the non-profit organization, Forum Afrique Expansion, which has become the most important Canadian meeting platform for business partnerships between African and Canadian decision makers. For more than a quarter of a century, the Honourable Amina Gerba has focused her professional life in promoting economic, commercial and entrepreneurial rapprochement between Canada and Africa. She has travelled to many African countries, organized and participated in several conferences with the same message: the African continent needs Canada and Canada needs Africa. From February 2018 until her appointment as an independent senator, Ms. Gerba was the chair of the board of directors of Entreprendre ici, an organization set up as part of the Governmental Action Plan for Entrepreneurship 2017-2022 in Quebec to support entrepreneurs from ethnocultural diversity in the province. A very socially committed woman, Ms. Gerba has served on several boards of directors of public and private organizations, including those of the Université du Québec à Montréal and its executive committee. She is a member and former president of the Rotary Club of Old Montreal and a mentor for the Network of African Entrepreneurs and Professionals.
Since February 25, 2022, Senator Gerba has been co-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, which promotes exchanges between African and Canadian parliamentarians, in order to better understand bilateral and multilateral issues.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Committee on National Finance
Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Member of the Committee on Human Rights
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
N/A
Ratna Omidvar
Independent Senators Group
Riding: Ontario (Ontario)
Appointed in 2016 by Justin Trudeau (LPC)
Preferred language: English
Biography
Ratna Omidvar is an internationally recognized voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. She came to Canada from Iran in 1981 and her own experiences of displacement, integration and citizen engagement have been the foundation of her work.
As a member of the Senate’s Independent Senators Group she holds a leadership position as the Liaison Officer.
Senator Omidvar is a Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy, a Director at the Century Initiative, a Council Member at the World Refugee and Migration Council and Chair Emerita at the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council.
Previously at Ryerson University, Senator Omidvar was a Distinguished Visiting Professor and founded the Global Diversity Exchange, a think-and-do tank on diversity, migration and inclusion. Prior to her appointments at Ryerson, Senator Omidvar was the President of Maytree, where she played a lead role in local, national and international efforts to promote the integration of immigrants.
Senator Omidvar is co-author of Flight and Freedom: Stories of Escape to Canada (2015), an Open Book Toronto best book of 2015 and one of the Toronto Star's top five good reads from Word on the Street. She is also a contributor to The Harper Factor (2016) and co-editor of Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success (2011).
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Committee on Human Rights
Chair of the Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
Bill S-217, An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets
Bill S-216, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (use of resources of a registered charity)
Mobina S.B. Jaffer
Independent Senators Group
Riding: British Columbia (BC)
Appointed in 2001 by Chrétien (LPC)
Preferred language: English/French
Biography
Senator Jaffer was born in Uganda. She earned a Bachelor of Laws from London University in London, England in 1972. She has also completed the Executive Development program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She was appointed at the Queen’s Counsel in 1998. She was the first South Asian woman to practice law in Canada and she has a distinguished record of service to the legal profession.
Senator Jaffer served as Canada’s Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan from 2002 to 2006. From 2002 to 2005, she chaired the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace, and Security.
The Women’s Executive Network named Senator Jaffer among Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Open Learning University. She works to engage communities in protecting human rights, celebrating Canada’s diversity, and promoting progress.
Member Profile and Other Parliamentary Roles
Member of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs;
Member of the Human Rights;
Member of Agriculture and Forestry
Sponsored Private Member’s Bills or Motions
S-213, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
S-214, International Mother Language Day Act
S-235, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
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