Parliamentary Committee Notes: House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security

Liberal Party of Canada

Heath MacDonald (Chair)

Riding: Malpeque (Prince Edward Island)

Parliamentary Experience: MP since 2021

Mr. MacDonald was first elected to the provincial legislature in 2015. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, and in 2018 he was appointed Minister of Finance for the Province.

Prior to his election, Mr. MacDonald was the Executive Director of Quality Tourism Services - Quality Assured PEI, Atlantic Canada Manager of Access Advisor, and President and Co-Founder of an information technology consulting company.

He has earned praise from different organizations for his efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, including the Access Award from the PEI Council of People with Disabilities and the City of Charlottetown Accessibility Award. He was also a Chair Leader as part of the Canadian Paraplegic Association's annual awareness campaign and nominated for National Recognition on behalf of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Jennifer O'Connell

Riding: Pickering—Uxbridge

Parliamentary Experience: MP since 2015

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Ms. O'Connell previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance (Youth Economic Opportunity).

A former three-term city and regional councilor for the City of Pickering and Durham Region, Ms. O'Connell has played an active role on several boards and committees over the years, including the Durham Region Finance and Administration Committee. She spent four years as Chair of Pickering's Waterfront Committee and Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee. She also served as Deputy Mayor of Pickering.

Through her work as a junior legal assistant and volunteer at a labour law firm, she found her passion for giving a voice to those in need. She learned early on how to channel this passion to achieve real and tangible results, which led her to become the youngest elected politician in her municipal ward.

Ron McKinnon

Riding: Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam (British Columbia)

Parliamentary Experience: MP since 2015

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

As a long-time resident of Port Coquitlam, Mr. McKinnon is a proud community advocate, from serving on the Evergreen Cultural Centre board, to working with Amnesty International.

Through his annual Community Champions program, he celebrates the leaders in his riding that are helping to build and better Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam.

Recognizing that British Columbia is seized by an opioid crisis, he introduced a Private Members Bill, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act. His legislation became law in May 2017 after receiving unanimous all-party support in both the House of Commons and Senate.

Prior to his election, he was a successful business owner and computer systems analyst for major firms in Canada, the US, and overseas. In the 1970s, he worked as a meteorological technician for Environment Canada's Atmospheric Environment Service.

Mr. McKinnon has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and an honours diploma in Computer Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Chris Bittle

Riding: St-Catharines (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience: MP since 2015

Mr. Bittle was first elected as the Member of Parliament for St. Catharines in 2015.

He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and as Deputy House Leader of the Government.

Born and raised in the Niagara region, Mr. Bittle is passionate about social issues that have an impact on residents in St. Catharines. He works hard to address systemic barriers to prosperity, including by promoting the need for affordable housing, public transit, and access to mental health and addiction services.

Before entering politics, Mr. Bittle served as Chair of Quest Community Health Centre and worked as a lawyer at Lancaster Brooks & Welch LLP. He also worked as an instructor at Niagara College and as a seminar leader at Brock University. Passionate about volunteering in his community, Mr. Bittle was also a regular volunteer with the Courts in the Classroom program.

He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University in Kingston and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor.

Peter Schiefke

Riding: Vaudreuil-Soulanges (Québec)

Parliamentary Experience: MP since 2015

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Mr. Schiefke holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Concordia University and a Master of Science in Renewable Resources from McGill University.

While a student at Concordia in 2002, Mr. Schiefke launched the We Will Always Remember (WWAR) project, aimed at raising awareness among youth of the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers around the world, for which he received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation in 2003.

Mr. Schiefke also co-founded Youth Action Montreal in 2006 with Mr. Shuriye to promote the engagement of Montreal college and university students in sustainable development and environmental protection. In 2007, this organization organized the conference "Less Talk, More Action: A Youth Summit on Climate Change", which was attended by Mr. Gore and Mr. Suzuki and brought together thousands of people at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. In 2009, he was appointed National Director of The Climate Reality Project Canada Foundation, and after his term was appointed to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Schiefke was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Environment and Climate Change in 2019 and was asked to take a lead role in the Government's efforts to protect 25% of Canada's Nature by 2025 and update and strengthen Canada's Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

Iqwinder Gaheer

Riding: Mississauga – Malton (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience: Member of Parliament since 2021

Mr. Gaheer has lived in Peel region since he and his family immigrated to Canada in 1999. Sixteen years ago, Mr. Gaheer's father, a plumber by trade, started the family's business in the bath furniture industry in Mississauga-Malton; the business still proudly calls this riding home. Mr. Gaheer now promises to be a strong voice for the community that gave his family so much.

Mr. Gaheer received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2019. He also graduated in 2015 from the Schulich School of Business, York University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration.

With his call to the New York Bar in 2020, Mr. Gaheer worked as a lawyer engaged in commercial litigation in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. During law school, he worked at the Massachusetts State Attorney General's Office and the Massachusetts Superior Court. Passionate about the rights of disparate groups, in his final year of law school, Mr. Gaheer was the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal.

Conservative Party of Canada

Eric Melillo

Riding: Kenora (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience: Elected in 2019

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Prior to entering politics, Mr. Melillo worked as an Associate within a business consulting firm, and as a Policy Research Analyst for a non-partisan think tank. Mr. Melillo also served as a political staffer while he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Lakehead University.

In December 2019, Melillo was appointed the Conservative Party's Deputy Shadow Minister for Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

Prior to the second session of the 43rd Parliament, Melillo was named to Erin O'Toole's Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Minister for Northern Affairs and Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario. Melillo served on the Natural Resources and the Indigenous and Northern Affairs standing committees during the 43rd Parliament.

Dane Lloyd

Riding: Sturgeon River-Parkland (Alberta)

Parliamentary Experience: Election in 2017

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Mr. Lloyd is a graduated from Trinity Western University with a degree in History and Political Studies in 2013.

A former Parliamentary Advisor to St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper, he previously worked for the Honourable Ed Fast, former Minister of International Trade, and worked under the Honourable Jason Kenney at the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.

Mr. Lloyd currently holds a commission as an infantry officer in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.

Doug Shipley (Vice-Chair)

Riding: Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte (Ontario)

Parliamentary Experience: First elected in 2019

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Prior to being elected as Member of Parliament, Mr. Shipley was elected to the City of Barrie council for three consecutive terms. While serving as Councillor for Ward 3, he gained a great deal of experience as Chair of Finance and Corporate Services, Chair of Infrastructure, Investment and Development Services Committee, and Deputy Chair of the Barrie Police Services Board. He also sat on several committees, including the Barrie and Area Physician Recruitment Task Force.

Mr. Shipley has successfully owned and operated a small business for over 20 years. He has been selected to serve on the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and previously served on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.  

Glen Motz

Riding: Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner (Alberta)

Parliamentary Experience: First elected on October 24, 2016 (by-election)

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Mr. Motz began his policing career with the Medicine Hat Police Service in 1980, serving in various capacities until his retirement 2015. Mr. Motz received several policing exceptional service awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for dedicated service in 2012 and the Order of Merit of Police Forces by Governor General David Johnson in 2013.

Mr. Motz served as the Opposition Associate Shadow Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness from 2019-2020, as a Member of the National Security and Public Safety Committee from 2017-2020, as a Member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) until June 2021. He was appointed a Member of the National Defence Committee in 2021.

Bloc Québécois

Kristina Michaud (Vice-Chair)

Riding: Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia (Québec)

Parliamentary Experience:

Originally from Matapédienne, Ms. Michaud studied at the Cégep de Rimouski and then at Université Laval where she obtained a bachelor's degree in International Studies and Modern Languages and where she undertook a master's degree in International Relations. In November 2018, she served as a political advisor in the cabinet of The Member for Matane-Matapédia and interim leader of the Parti Québécois, Pascal Bérubé.

Ms. Michaud was the youngest person elected to the House of Commons in Quebec and the first woman to represent her riding.

In addition to being appointed Bloc Québécois critic for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, she is also Critic for Climate Change and Youth.

New Democratic Party of Canada

Peter Julian

Riding: New Westminster – Burnaby (British Columbia)

Parliamentary Experience: MP Since 2004

Activities/Experience of Interest to the Portfolio:

Mr. Julian was born and raised in the New Westminster-Burnaby area where his family has lived for four generations. After graduating from New Westminster Secondary School, Mr. Julian held a number of jobs as a manual labourer and factory worker for local small businesses. After dropping out of school, Mr. Julian, as an adult learner, later attended the University of Quebec in Montreal and graduated with a degree in Political Science (International Relations).

Prior to his election to the House of Commons, Mr. Julian worked as a Financial Administrator. He is a former Executive Director of the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WIDHH) and, under his leadership; WIDHH won consecutive Canadian Consumers' Choice Awards for Excellence in Business (2003-2004). He was instrumental in building the British Columbia Disability Employment Network, a consortium of community groups, organizations and non-profit societies dedicated to serving people with disabilities.

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