Parliamentary Committee Notes: SRSR Committee biographies

Lloyd Longfield

Chair of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Guelph
Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: October 19, 2015

Current Parliamentary Roles

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Cabinet Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @LloydLongfield

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.longfield/
Instagram: @llyodlongfield
Website: https://www.mplongfield.ca/

Personal Biography:

In October 2015, Lloyd was elected to Parliament as the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Guelph, Ontario. Lloyd has since served as a member of the Standing Committee for Industry, Science and Technology, as a member of the Standing Committee for Agriculture and Agri-Food, as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and as a member of the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development.

In addition to his committee roles, Lloyd has served as Chair of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus, he has chaired the Innovation Caucus, Co-Chaired the Automotive Caucus and acted as Secretary of the Ontario Caucus. He has also been an active member in the Social Innovation caucus, the Mental Health Caucus as well as several Intergovernmental Parliamentary groups with countries such as India, Italy, and organizations like NATO.

Lloyd is focused on collaborating locally on priorities such as the environment, housing, mental health, Indigenous reconciliation, early learning, childcare, entrepreneurship and economic development.

Lloyd has been serving Guelph for 30 years in community benefit organizations including 7 years as the President of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. This followed a successful career as a Mechanical Engineering Technologist, working in manufacturing ranging from his own business start-up to working with businesses across Canada to improve their productivity and competitiveness through automation, process improvement, and innovation.

Lloyd has been happily married to his high school sweetheart Barb since 1978 and together they have 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

Corey Tochor

Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Saskatoon – University, Saskatchewan
Party affiliation: Conservative
First elected: October 21, 2019
Re-elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @ctochor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctochor
Website: https://coreytochormp.ca/

Personal Biography

Prior to entering politics, Corey was a local Saskatoon entrepreneur who owned and operated Health Conveyance, a communications company that provides electronic messaging in health facilities across the province. Corey graduated with a commerce degree from the U of S with a major in Finance. He had a successful career in sales, e- learning consulting and pharmaceuticals before starting his own business. These experiences have helped Corey become a strong voice for the local Saskatoon business community.

As an active volunteer in his local community, Corey has served for many years on the executive of the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon including on the corporate board for Telemiracle 33, chair of fundraising projects and treasurer of the Kinsmen Activity Place House, a community center supporting Saskatoon’s core.

Corey has a wealth of legislative experience and was been a proven team player in Saskatchewan's Brad Wall government. First elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in the 2011 provincial election and re-elected in 2016, Corey’s legislative responsibilities began early in his first term when he served as Deputy Chair of Committees. He then served as Deputy Whip and was later appointed Deputy House Leader by Premier Wall. Corey has also served on many legislative committees including Human Services, Public Accounts, and Private Bills. Shortly after being re-elected, Corey gained support and trust of his colleagues and was elected Speaker of the Legislature. He is one of only 25 people to hold this role in Saskatchewan and the second youngest to be elected.
In 2019, Corey was elected to represent the Saskatoon-University riding as the Member of Parliament and served as Shadow Minister for Families, Children and Social Development since February 2021. During his time as a Member of Parliament, Corey focused on 4 key areas: government accountability, advancing Canada's energy independence, pushing for increased funding for the Saskatoon-University riding, and fighting against Internet censorship.

Corey was born and raised in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. He currently resides in Saskatoon with his wife Danielle and their two young sons, Jacob and James.

Maxime  Blanchette-Joncas

Member of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology Bloc Québécois Critic – Science and Innovation
Constituency:Rimouski-Neigette-Témiscouata-Les Basques
Party affiliation: Bloc Québécois
First elected: October 21, 2019
Re-elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @BlanchetteMax
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBJDepute/
Instagram: @maxblanchettejoncas

Personal Biography:

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas was born and raised in Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. After a challenging school career, he obtained his high school diploma in an adult education center and entered the job market. For 6 years, he worked in the call center of the Telus company, where he developed a taste for union action and political involvement.

He then decides to quit his job and enroll in university, without going to CEGEP. During his studies, he got involved in student associations, in the youth wing of the Parti Québécois and in various organizations such as the Librairie l'Alphabet, the Jeune chamber of Rimouski and the Société nationale de l'Est du Québec. He also represented UQAR during the 2017 Commerce Games.

In 2019, after completing an internship at Paris town hall, Maxime obtained his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Quebec in Rimouski. He briefly worked at the Business Development Bank of Canada, then he was hired as deputy general manager of the municipality of L’Isle-Verte.

On August 22, 2019, Maxime Blanchette-Joncas announced his intention to be a Bloc Québécois candidate in the federal elections. During the election of October 21, he was elected with 38% of the votes, or 4,264 more than the outgoing deputy Guy Caron.

In November 2019, in the House of Commons, he was appointed to the committee on the St. Lawrence Seaway and to that on Tourism, as well as to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, which will make him vice-chair.

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas' first term as an MP will be marked by COVID-19. As soon as he took office, he launched an operation to repatriate around sixty Lower Laurentians, and successfully pleaded for financial aid to traders, particularly those in Tourism, one of the issues for which he is spokesperson.

Despite the pandemic, MP Blanchette-Joncas is fighting on all fronts, tabling two bills, launching a petition to improve the living conditions of seniors, obtaining funds for culture and bringing numerous projects to fruition thanks to a minority government.

Valerie Bradford

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Kitchener South—Hespeler, Ontario
Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees:

44th Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @ValBradfordMP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValBradfordMP Instagram: @valbradfordmp
Website: https://valeriebradford.liberal.ca/

Personal Biography:

Valerie Bradford is the Liberal MP for the riding of Kitchener South–Hespeler. She is a mother of three adult children, raising them as a single mom. Valerie understands the challenges that families face, as they juggle responsibilities at home, finances, and careers. Valerie is passionate about universally affordable and accessible childcare, which will allow parents, particularly women, to fully participate in the workforce.

Making ends meet was never easy, but growing up on a dairy farm near Dunnville, Ontario, she learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age.

Valerie has spent the last 15 years supporting small businesses and bringing jobs and investments to Waterloo Region as an economic development professional for the City of Kitchener. She is the current Chair of the Workforce Planning Board, serving for the past eight years. With extensive knowledge of the local economy and experience with workforce development, Valerie is well-equipped to help the region recover from the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waterloo Region is a great place to live, work, and raise a family - we need to continue to make it better and accessible for all residents. Valerie's goal is to ensure that Canadians everywhere have access to safe and affordable housing that meets their needs.

Since moving to the region 17 years ago, Valerie has been a dedicated volunteer with multiple local organizations. She has been a member of the Kitchener South–Hespeler Federal Liberal Riding Association Board since 2016, most recently serving as its Policy Chair.

Valerie is dedicated to public service and has the right experience to be a strong voice for residents of Kitchener South–Hespeler as our next Member of Parliament.

Richard Cannings

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research New Democrat Critic – Small Business and Tourism
Deputy Critic – Innovation, Science and Industry & Natural Resources
Constituency: South Okanagan – West Kootenay, British Columbia
Party affiliation: New Democratic Party
First elected: October 19, 2015
Re-elected: October 21, 2019
September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @CanningsNDP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardjcannings Instagram: @richard_cannings
Website: https://richardcannings.ndp.ca/

Personal Biography

Richard J. “Dick” Cannings MP (born March 31, 1954) is a Canadian biologist, author and politician. He was elected into parliament during the 2015 Canadian federal election as a member of the New Democratic Party. During that parliament he sponsored three private member bills: one to promote the use of wood in federal public works projects, one to add various lakes and rivers to Navigable Waters Protection Act, and another to a Minister of Environment to respond to a Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada report. Cannings was appointed the NDP critic for post-secondary education as well as the Deputy Critic for Natural Resources in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.

Prior to being elected as a member of parliament Cannings unsuccessfully sought election as a member of the legislative assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 BC election. Prior to his involvement in politics, Cannings worked as a biologist specializing in birds, taught at the University of British Columbia for 17 years, authored numerous books about birds and natural history, and was a member of the committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada for 8 years. He is an alumnus of Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of British Columbia.

Chad Collins

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Hamilton East – Stoney Creek, Ontario
Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Cabinet Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @ChadCollinsMP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChadCollinsMP Instagram: @chadcollinsmp
Website: https://chadcollins.liberal.ca/biography/

Personal Biography

A lifelong resident of Hamilton East - Stoney Creek, Chad resides in the Davis Creek area with his wife Mary and two children, Chase and Reese. He attended Glendale Secondary School, the University of Western Ontario, and McMaster University. Chad was first elected to City Council in 1995, at the age of 24, making him one of the youngest elected representatives in the City's history.

Chad is passionate about engaging local residents and community stakeholders, focusing on revitalization of infrastructure, development of social housing and stream- lining municipal programs.

As President of City Housing Hamilton, Chad has been committed to addressing the City's aging affordable housing stock by pressuring all levels of government to invest in the much needed repair of over 7,000 publicly owned units. He continues to work on nearly a dozen new projects across the City and in the riding, that will provide new affordable housing units to those in need.

From the creation and development of new community parks and trails to the opening of a new food bank, Chad knows community consultation is an integral part of improving quality of life for everyone in Hamilton East - Stoney Creek!

Lena Metlege Diab

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Halifax West, Nova Scotia
Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

41st Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @LenaMetlegeDiab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LenaMetlegeDiabNS Instagram: @lena4halifaxwest
Website: https://lenametlegediab.liberal.ca/biography/

Personal Biography

Lena Metlege Diab is a proud grandmother, community volunteer, lawyer, businesswoman, and Lebanese-Nova Scotian. Born in Halifax, Lena lived in Diman, a small tight-knit Lebanese village, from the age of two, fleeing war at the age of 11 and returning back to her family home in Halifax. Though she did not speak English at the time, Lena applied herself in school and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Public Administration, and a law degree. She also had three children while attending law school and articling.

Lena has served as an MLA and as a member of the provincial cabinet, holding the title of Nova Scotia’s first female Attorney General and Minister of Justice. She also served as Minister of Immigration, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, et Ministre des Affaires acadiennes et de la Francophonie.

Her personal values are rooted in respect for diversity, inclusion, and fairness. Lena has a profound respect for history, tradition, and protection of minorities, as she does the ethos of personal and collective responsibility and recognition of the hard work and sacrifices of others. She has also trained in collaborative law and mediation.

Lena speaks English, French, and Arabic, and lives in Rockingham with her family. Alongside Justin Trudeau and the Liberal team, Lena will be a strong voice for the people of Halifax West.

Stéphane Lauzon

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation, Quebec
Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: October 19, 2015
Re-elected: October 21, 2019
September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

44th Parliament

43rd Parliament

42nd Parliament

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @stephanelauzon5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephane.lauzon.988 Instagram: @stephane.lauzon.mp
Website: https://stephanelauzon.liberal.ca/en/biography/

Personal Biography

Having worked at Canadian International Paper (CIP) in the 1980s as a welder, Stéphane Lauzon decided to return to school in 1992 to complete a teaching certificate. He went on to work in the field of vocational training for over 20 years. Stéphane became a City of Gatineau municipal councillor in November 2009. Prior to his entering the House of Commons, he managed construction projects at a company he founded.

In his role as municipal councillor, his duties included sitting on the Capital Property and Budget Committee, the Standing Committee on Housing, and the Committee on Seniors. In 2012 he became Chair of the Sports, Recreation and Community Life Committee and was Vice-Chair of the 2015 Jeux de la francophonie.

Most recently, Stéphane served Canada’s seniors as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors.

Stéphane is the father of three children.

Ben Lobb

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research Shadow Minister for Digital Government
Constituency: Huron – Bruce, Ontario
Party affiliation: Conservative
First elected: October 14, 2008
Re-elected: May 2, 2011
October 19, 2015
October 21, 2019
September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @ BenLobbMP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenLobbMP/
Website: https://benlobb.com/

Personal Biography

Ben Lobb currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Digital Government and Special Advisor to the Leader of the Opposition on Blockchain Technologies and Cryptoassets. Ben is a co-founder of the Conservative Blockchain Caucus.

Ben serves on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) and is currently studying Canada’s air and naval defense procurements. In the last Parliament, Ben served as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade.

Previously, Ben worked in the Finance Department for Desire2Lean (D2L) and Wescast Industries in Wingham, Ontario, He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He hosts two annual minor baseball camps for children in Huron-Bruce, attracting attendees from as far away as Vancouver.

Ben and his wife Samantha have two sons, Cal and Caden.

Dan Mazier

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Dauphin – Swan River – Neepawa, Manitoba
Party affiliation: Conservative
First elected: October 21, 2019
Re-elected: September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @ MBDan7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanMazierMB/
Website: https://www.dsrn.ca/about_your_cpc_candidate

Personal Biography

Dan and his wife Leigh farm grains, oil seeds, and specialty crops near Justice, Manitoba. His past farming experience also include raising cattle, sheep, and poultry. They have two adult children living in Saskatoon, SK and Winnipeg, MB.

Dan has served as the President of Keystone Agriculture Producers (KAP) since 2015 after a four-year commitment as Vice-President. Prior to this, Dan fulfilled a position at KAP from 2001 – 2006. He was one of the founding members of the KAP Young Farmers Committee and was the Western representative on the Canadian Young Farmers Forum. At the national level, Dan represented KAP on the Canadian Federation of Agriculture board and participated in several advocacy days on Parliament Hill.

Additionally, Dan has served his community as a school trustee for Rolling River School Division, and as a board member for the Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association, the Mid-Assiniboine Conservation District, and the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative (ARBI). Dan was also a founding member of Elton Energy Co-operative, a provincial renewable energy initiative.

Dan is a graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Agriculture Diploma program (1984), and was honoured by the faculty in 2013 with a certificate of merit for his contributions in the agriculture industry.

Dan holds a power engineer certification and has worked in the fertilizer industry for 17 years. Other past work experience includes working for MNP as well as the Manitoba Farm Mediation Board.

On October 21, 2019, Dan Mazier was elected to represent Dauphin-Swan River- Neepawa as Member of Parliament and was re-elected on September 20, 2021.

In October 2022, Pierre Poilievre appointed Dan Mazier to his Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Minister for Rural Economic Development & Connectivity.

Gerald Soroka

Member Standing Committee on Science and Research
Constituency: Yellowhead Party affiliation: Conservative First elected: October 21, 2019
Re-elected:    September 20, 2021

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @GeraldSorokaMP
Instagram: @geraldsoroka
Website: https://geraldsorokamp.ca/about/

Personal Biography

Gerald Soroka is the Member of Parliament for Yellowhead.

He comes from a long line of farmers and has farmed for the majority of his life where his grandparents homesteaded in the 1930s. This is where he still lives today, a proud resident of Yellowhead riding.

Gerald has always had a strong interest in serving his community and working to solve problems that face his fellow residents. To this end, he took on posts as Vice- President and President of West Central Forage as well as Vice-President of the Alberta Forage Council.

Looking to solve problems at a larger scale, Gerald went on to serve as a Division one Councillor and Mayor of Yellowhead County before making the jump to federal politics. During his time as Mayor, he was also elected as Vice President of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (Now RMA) from 2008 to 2010.

Charles Sousa

Member of the Standing Committee on Science and Research Constituency: Mississauga - Lakeshore, Ontario Party affiliation: Liberal
First elected: December 12, 2022 (by-election)

Previous Parliamentary Roles

Standing Committees

44th Parliament, 1st Session

Key Parliamentary Interests

Social Media

Twitter: @sousacharles
Facebook: Charles Sousa | Facebook
Instagram: @charles.sousa1
Website: https://charlessousa.ca/

Personal Biography

Charles Sousa was elected in December 2022 as Canada's federal Member of Parliament for the riding of Mississauga Lakeshore.

He was previously a director on the boards of Wealth One Bank of Canada and IC Savings credit union. He also sat on Canadian University Dubai's board of trustees and chaired Magellan Community Charities (a new LTC & affordable housing complex). He spearheaded multiple real-estate development projects and provided support to an M&A firm in the UK. Charles lead a variety of consulting contracts in the financial services industry including as a senior advisor to Loyalist Public Affairs.

Charles is also the former Minister of Finance for Ontario. He was elected to the Ontario Legislature in 2007 and served three terms, spanning over a decade, as Member Provincial Parliament for Mississauga South.

Charles delivered six budgets and delivered historic reforms to Ontario’s pension, insurance and infrastructure.                     He managed $150 billion budgets and a number of large agencies including LCBO, OLG, OSC and WSIB.

Charles oversaw several large commercial transactions including monetization of Hydro One, restructuring of US Steel/Stelco and the reorganization of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. He was also President of Treasury Board, Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, Minister responsible for the Pan/ParaPan Am Games and Minister of Labour.

Prior to elected office, Charles enjoyed a 20 year commercial banking career with RBC Royal Bank and in capital markets at RBC Dominion Securities.

He also owned and operated Lift Finance Inc., an asset based lending firm.

Charles has been a champion of financial literacy in schools and continues to serve on community boards, chambers and business associations. He was also ambassador for the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation and the Rainbow Ball Foundation.

Charles earned an MBA from Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario, BBA (Honours) from Wilfrid Laurier University, top of class as a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors at Rotman School of Business.
Charles has received many awards and distinctions, including the Order of Portugal, the Queen’s Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medals and recognition as one of Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People by Toronto Life Magazine (2014).

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