Biographies of the Canadian Delegation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Biographies of the Canadian Delegation David Tilson C - Dufferin-Caledon, Ontario Conservative Party Biography David Tilson was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004. Prior to entering Parliament, Mr. Tilson enjoyed a distinguished career in law and provincial politics. Mr. Tilson practiced law from 1970 to 1990 in Orangeville, Ontario. In 1982, he received the designation, Queen’s Counsel. Mr. Tilson served as a trustee on the Dufferin Board of Education, and as chair of the board’s Management Committee. He was also elected councillor for the Town of Orangeville and became director of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In 1990, the people of Dufferin-Caledon elected Mr. Tilson to the Ontario Legislature. As a member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament, Mr. Tilson served as Government Caucus Chair, Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, Special Commissioner to study rural health care, and Co-Chair of the Ontario Crime Control Commission. After leaving provincial politics in 2002, Mr. Tilson served as Vice-Chair of the Ontario Municipal Board, a body that regulates development and planning. Mr. Tilson returned to politics in the 2004 federal election, as part of the newly formed Conservative Party of Canada team, where he was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 38th Parliament. During this time, Mr. Tilson served as the Acting Chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics. Mr. Tilson was re-elected as Member of Parliament following the 2006 Federal Election. During this time, he was appointed Chair of the Legislative Committee on Bill C-2 (The Federal Accountability Act). He presided over 65 hours of debates on this significant piece of legislation that ran from May 3rd to June 14, 2006. The Act later received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006. Mr. Tilson also served as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics during the 39th Parliament and was as a member of the Greater Toronto Area Caucus, the Ontario Caucus, and the newly formed Space Caucus. On March 11, 2008, Mr. Tilson was also elected President of the all-party Canada- Europe Parliamentary Association. On October 14, 2008, the people of Dufferin-Caledon re-elected Mr. Tilson to the 40th Parliament. Currently, Mr. Tilson is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He continues to be President of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, following his re-election on February 24, 2009, and also remains a member of the Greater Toronto Area Caucus, the Ontario Caucus, and the Auto Caucus. Community involvement has always been important for Mr. Tilson and he remains a committed life member and Past President of the Optimist Club of Orangeville. He was also one of the original founders of the 3rd Orangeville Boy Scouts, Big Brothers of Orangeville and District, as well as the Blue Box Program, in Orangeville. Mr. Tilson is the proud father of three children: Janet, Greg, and Riley. His wife, Judith Birchall, practices law in Orangeville Senator Joan Fraser Liberal Party of Canada Province: Quebec Senatorial Designation: De Lorimier Biography Joan Fraser was appointed to the Senate on September 17, 1998. She held the position of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from January 2006 to February 2007. Senator Fraser was Chair of the Senate Liberal Caucus (1999-2002), and has served as Chair of both the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2003- 2005) and the Special Senate Committee on C-20 (Clarity Legislation) (2000). She has also been a member of the following Senate Standing Committees: Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Official Languages, Human Rights, National Finance. She served as President of the Women’s Coordinating Committee of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (2004-2006), as well as an ex-officio member of the International Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (2002-2006). She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from McGill University in 1965. In 1965, she joined the Montreal newspaper The Gazette. In 1967, she moved to Financial Times of Canada, and in 1978, she returned to The Gazette as editorial page editor. In 1993, she was appointed Editor-in-Chief, a post she held until 1996. From 1997 to 1998, she was Director-General of the Centre for Research and Information on Canada, a division of the Council for Canadian Unity. She has won two National Newspaper Awards (1982 and 1991) and four National Newspaper Award Citations of Merit (1986, 1987, 1990, 1994) for editorial writing. She has also won other awards for journalism, communications and her work on women's issues. Senator Fraser lives in Montreal. She is married to Michel Faure and has two children, Elisabeth and Isabelle. Current Member of the following Senate committee(s): Legal and Constitutional Affairs Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament Selection Committee Senator Michel Rivard Conservative Party of Canada Province: Quebec Senatorial Designation:The Laurentides Biography Michel Rivard studied in Quebec City and spent the most part of his professional life in public administration. He was President of the Corporation des maîtres entrepreneurs en réfrigération du Québec, then Mayor of Beauport from 1980 to 1984. Mr. Rivard was director of a number of organizations, and was President of the Executive Committee of the Communauté Urbaine de Québec. In 1994, he was elected at the Assemblée nationale as the MNA for Limoilou. He was Regional Delegate for the region of Quebec and parliamentary Assistant of the Minister responsible for the region of Quebec. Current Member of the following Senate committee(s): Agriculture and Forestry Library of Parliament (Joint) Dr. James Lunney MP Nanaimo-Alberni, British Columbia Conservative Party Biography Dr. James Lunney is the Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Alberni, BC. Born in Winnipeg, September 5, 1951, James obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba and a Doctor of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto. In 1991 James and Helen moved to Vancouver Island and established West Coast Chiropractic in Parksville. He practiced Chiropractic health care for 24 years before being elected to the House of Commons. In addition to serving thousands of mid-island residents professionally, James has contributed community service through the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, North Vancouver Island Chiropractic Society and his local church. In Parliament, James has served on the Standing Committees of Health, Fisheries and Oceans, Canadian Heritage, Foreign Affairs & International Trade, National Defence and Official Languages. Primary health care reform and healthcare innovation continue to be his passion..