Meet Canada’s newest senators 2024
Senator Suze Youance
Senator Suze Youance is a Haitian-born civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience in her field. She began her career in Haiti, where she worked for more than a decade as an engineer and increasingly senior roles in infrastructure and the environment. She immigrated to Canada in 2006, and started making a name for herself in engineering, teaching and research. She has been a lecturer and research assistant at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in Montréal, and she has hosted two television programs on engineering and sustainable development that aired on Savoir média until 2023. She has served on several boards, including the Bureau de la communauté haïtienne de Montréal and the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal. In recognition of her career and contributions, she received the Casimir Gzowski gold medal from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the Mathieu Da Costa Award from the Black Coalition of Quebec. A graduate of the Université d’État d’Haïti, Senator Youance also holds a Master’s degree and PhD in Construction Engineering from the ÉTS.
Senator Pierre Moreau
Senator Pierre Moreau is a lawyer and former member of the Quebec National Assembly with 40 years of legal and political experience. He worked at the Montréal law firm Bélanger Sauvé from 1991 to 2003 before leaving to successfully run for the Quebec National Assembly in the Marguerite-D’Youville riding. He won three subsequent elections for the riding of Châteauguay in 2008, 2012 and 2014. During this time, he held several cabinet positions, including as minister of transport, municipal affairs and land occupancy, education and higher education, and Treasury Board president. He returned to Bélanger Sauvé in 2019 as a managing partner. He has also appeared as a panellist on ICI RDI’s television program Mordus de politique and as a contributor to the radio morning show Puisqu’il faut se lever. Senator Moreau has served on the boards of the Quebec Blue Cross, and the Centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée de la municipalité régionale de comté de Champlain. He has also been president of the Quebec Branch and member of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas, and a supporting member of the Fondation Jeanne-Crevier.
Senator Tracy Muggli
Senator Tracy Muggli is a registered social worker, senior executive and former provincial public servant in Saskatchewan. She comes to the Red Chamber with more than 35 years of experience in the health and social services sectors. She served as executive director of St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon and Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for Saskatoon Health Region/Saskatchewan Health Authority. An active member of her community, Senator Muggli has sat on different boards, including the Saskatoon Open Door Society, the Saskatoon Community Foundation and the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association. She has received several awards and recognitions, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, a YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and the (Saskatchewan) Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service. She was also recognized by the Saskatoon Community Foundation with the creation of the Tracy Muggli Fund for Reconciliation.
Senator Kristopher Wells
Senator Kristopher Wells is an educator, a champion for 2SLGBTQI+ rights and a lifelong Alberta resident. He started his career as a teacher in St. Albert Public Schools and later became a diversity consultant for Edmonton Public Schools. He served as assistant professor and faculty director of the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta and then as the founding director of the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. He has also served on several community organizations and boards, including the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief’s Community Advisory Council and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee. He has received several awards, including the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s Public Education Award.
Senator Daryl S. Fridhandler
Senator Daryl S. Fridhandler is a corporate lawyer with more than 40 years of legal experience. He has spent his entire career practising with the Calgary firm Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, where he became a partner in 1990. His practice spans commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial arbitration and mediation, as well as private equity, securities and corporate law. He has also served on several boards and been a legal advisor for private and public companies, non-profits and projects. He has been a director on the board of ENMAX Corporation, and chair of the Alberta Ballet Company, the Calgary Public Library and Calgary Economic Development. Senator Fridhandler is a King’s Counsel and has been given the Scarlet Key Award from McGill University, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Lexology Client Choice Award.
Senator Charles S. Adler
Senator Charles S. Adler has more than 50 years of experience in the broadcasting industry as a radio host and commentator in Canada and the United States. He hosted The Charles Adler Show on the Corus Radio Network and on SiriusXM Canada, as well as Global Sunday for Global TV. He was also a weekly columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press in his home province of Manitoba. In the 1990s, he won an Emmy Award for Best New England TV Host for his work on a nightly primetime television show out of Boston; he has also been given the Key to the City of Toronto, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. A son of Holocaust survivors, Senator Adler and his family emigrated to Canada from Hungary as refugees in 1957.
Senator Victor Boudreau
Senator Victor Boudreau is a former New Brunswick MLA, cabinet minister and interim leader of the provincial Liberal Party. He started his career in politics and public service more than 30 years ago with roles that included Village Administrator of Cap-Pelé, Researcher and Departmental Chief of Staff in the provincial government, and federal constituency assistant. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 2004 to represent the riding of Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap-Pelé and served as minister of several portfolios, including finance, economic development and health. For the past year, he has served as Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Shediac. He has also volunteered for many organizations, including the Beauséjour Family Crisis Resource Centre, the Shediac Hospice, the Shediac Lions Club and the Cap‑Pelé Chamber of Commerce. A proud Acadian, Mr. Boudreau is the recipient of the Louis-J.-Robichaud Medal in recognition of his public and community service.
Senator Manuelle Oudar
Senator Manuelle Oudar, a lawyer who spent more than three decades working in the public service, represents the La Salle division of Quebec in the Senate. For eight years, she served as president and CEO of Quebec’s labour standards board — the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). Before her appointment to the CNESST, she served in several senior positions within the public service, including as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Labour. She also held legal affairs management positions in other provincial ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, and the Ministry of Family. She received the 2023 Dirigeant de l’année award from the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite 2023 by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal and the Prix Leadership by the Association des femmes en finances du Québec in 2017. That same year, she was named one of the 100 most influential women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network.
Senator Mohammad Al Zaibak
A Syrian-born Arab Canadian, Senator Mohammad Al Zaibak is an entrepreneur, businessman and expert in public-private partnerships. Before his Senate appointment, he was president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Development and Marketing Corporation, a specialized information technology services company that he co-founded. He was also the co-founder and director of Teranet Inc., a public-private partnership that developed and now manages Ontario’s Electronic Land Registration Information System. He co-founded Lifeline Syria, a not-for-profit organization that helped nearly 1,200 Syrian refugees be privately sponsored and resettled in Canada, and the Canadian Arab Institute think tank. He served as director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Canada Arab Business Council. Senator Al Zaibak represents Ontario in the Senate.
Senator Mary Robinson
A Senate representative for Prince Edward Island, Senator Mary Robinson is a globally recognized leader in the agricultural sector and an active member of her local community. She worked for over 25 years with the Robinson Group of Companies, a sixth-generation farm and agribusiness in Albany, Prince Edward Island. She has held leadership positions in several agricultural sector organizations at the provincial, national and international levels, including serving as vice-president of the World Farmers’ Organisation and president of the PEI Federation of Agriculture. She was the first female president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and the first female chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. A proud Prince Edward Islander, Senator Robinson has also maintained an active role in her local home and school association, as well as local band, choir and sport programs. She received the PEI Women’s Institute Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award and was named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada by the Atlantic Business Magazine.
Senator Marnie McBean
Senator Marnie McBean is one of the most decorated Olympians in Canadian history. At the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, she won four medals — including three gold — for rowing events. She is one of just two Canadians to be a triple gold medallist at the Summer Games. After her rowing career, she began a motivational speaking career and became an athlete mentor. She was Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and led Team Canada to one of its best Olympic results ever. She has been involved with several social justice-centred causes, including You Can Play, Fast and Female, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s One Team and the Special Olympics Canada Champions Network. Senator McBean is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, the Row Ontario Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. She was appointed to the Senate to represent Ontario on December 20, 2023.
Senator Paulette Senior
A former president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and former chief executive officer of the YWCA Canada, Senator Paulette Senior represents Ontario in the Senate of Canada. She is known for her advocacy work on women’s issues, including promoting gender equity, addressing gender-based violence, reducing women’s poverty, shrinking the wage gap and promoting the empowerment of women and girls across Canada. She has led, managed and operated Toronto-based shelters, and employment and housing programs. She sat on the board of directors of several organizations, including Oxfam Canada, the Women’s College Hospital and the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council. Senator Senior has received many awards in recognition of her community service, including the African Canadian Achievement Award, the Top 25 Women of Influence Award, and most recently the Skills for Change Impact Changemaker Award. She was appointed to the Senate on December 20, 2023.
Senator Toni Varone
Senator Toni Varone is a businessman and philanthropist known for his work in building affordable housing and for his contributions to the Italian-Canadian community. As president of the Varone Group since 1995, he has overseen companies specializing in services relating to hospitality, construction, land development and property management. He served on the Villa Charities Foundation, the Italian Earthquake Relief Fund and the Peace Through Valour Committee, which honours the Canadian soldiers who fought to liberate Italy during the Second World War. Senator Varone is the recipient of several awards and honours, including the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association Community Achievement Award and the Italian Canadian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award. He was appointed to the Senate to represent Ontario on December 20, 2023.
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Meet Canada’s newest senators 2024
Senator Suze Youance
Senator Suze Youance is a Haitian-born civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience in her field. She began her career in Haiti, where she worked for more than a decade as an engineer and increasingly senior roles in infrastructure and the environment. She immigrated to Canada in 2006, and started making a name for herself in engineering, teaching and research. She has been a lecturer and research assistant at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in Montréal, and she has hosted two television programs on engineering and sustainable development that aired on Savoir média until 2023. She has served on several boards, including the Bureau de la communauté haïtienne de Montréal and the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal. In recognition of her career and contributions, she received the Casimir Gzowski gold medal from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and the Mathieu Da Costa Award from the Black Coalition of Quebec. A graduate of the Université d’État d’Haïti, Senator Youance also holds a Master’s degree and PhD in Construction Engineering from the ÉTS.
Senator Pierre Moreau
Senator Pierre Moreau is a lawyer and former member of the Quebec National Assembly with 40 years of legal and political experience. He worked at the Montréal law firm Bélanger Sauvé from 1991 to 2003 before leaving to successfully run for the Quebec National Assembly in the Marguerite-D’Youville riding. He won three subsequent elections for the riding of Châteauguay in 2008, 2012 and 2014. During this time, he held several cabinet positions, including as minister of transport, municipal affairs and land occupancy, education and higher education, and Treasury Board president. He returned to Bélanger Sauvé in 2019 as a managing partner. He has also appeared as a panellist on ICI RDI’s television program Mordus de politique and as a contributor to the radio morning show Puisqu’il faut se lever. Senator Moreau has served on the boards of the Quebec Blue Cross, and the Centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée de la municipalité régionale de comté de Champlain. He has also been president of the Quebec Branch and member of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas, and a supporting member of the Fondation Jeanne-Crevier.
Senator Tracy Muggli
Senator Tracy Muggli is a registered social worker, senior executive and former provincial public servant in Saskatchewan. She comes to the Red Chamber with more than 35 years of experience in the health and social services sectors. She served as executive director of St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon and Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for Saskatoon Health Region/Saskatchewan Health Authority. An active member of her community, Senator Muggli has sat on different boards, including the Saskatoon Open Door Society, the Saskatoon Community Foundation and the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association. She has received several awards and recognitions, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, a YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and the (Saskatchewan) Premier’s Award for Excellence in Public Service. She was also recognized by the Saskatoon Community Foundation with the creation of the Tracy Muggli Fund for Reconciliation.
Senator Kristopher Wells
Senator Kristopher Wells is an educator, a champion for 2SLGBTQI+ rights and a lifelong Alberta resident. He started his career as a teacher in St. Albert Public Schools and later became a diversity consultant for Edmonton Public Schools. He served as assistant professor and faculty director of the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta and then as the founding director of the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. He has also served on several community organizations and boards, including the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief’s Community Advisory Council and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee. He has received several awards, including the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s Public Education Award.
Senator Daryl S. Fridhandler
Senator Daryl S. Fridhandler is a corporate lawyer with more than 40 years of legal experience. He has spent his entire career practising with the Calgary firm Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, where he became a partner in 1990. His practice spans commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, commercial arbitration and mediation, as well as private equity, securities and corporate law. He has also served on several boards and been a legal advisor for private and public companies, non-profits and projects. He has been a director on the board of ENMAX Corporation, and chair of the Alberta Ballet Company, the Calgary Public Library and Calgary Economic Development. Senator Fridhandler is a King’s Counsel and has been given the Scarlet Key Award from McGill University, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Lexology Client Choice Award.
Senator Charles S. Adler
Senator Charles S. Adler has more than 50 years of experience in the broadcasting industry as a radio host and commentator in Canada and the United States. He hosted The Charles Adler Show on the Corus Radio Network and on SiriusXM Canada, as well as Global Sunday for Global TV. He was also a weekly columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press in his home province of Manitoba. In the 1990s, he won an Emmy Award for Best New England TV Host for his work on a nightly primetime television show out of Boston; he has also been given the Key to the City of Toronto, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. A son of Holocaust survivors, Senator Adler and his family emigrated to Canada from Hungary as refugees in 1957.
Senator Victor Boudreau
Senator Victor Boudreau is a former New Brunswick MLA, cabinet minister and interim leader of the provincial Liberal Party. He started his career in politics and public service more than 30 years ago with roles that included Village Administrator of Cap-Pelé, Researcher and Departmental Chief of Staff in the provincial government, and federal constituency assistant. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 2004 to represent the riding of Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap-Pelé and served as minister of several portfolios, including finance, economic development and health. For the past year, he has served as Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Shediac. He has also volunteered for many organizations, including the Beauséjour Family Crisis Resource Centre, the Shediac Hospice, the Shediac Lions Club and the Cap‑Pelé Chamber of Commerce. A proud Acadian, Mr. Boudreau is the recipient of the Louis-J.-Robichaud Medal in recognition of his public and community service.
Senator Manuelle Oudar
Senator Manuelle Oudar, a lawyer who spent more than three decades working in the public service, represents the La Salle division of Quebec in the Senate. For eight years, she served as president and CEO of Quebec’s labour standards board — the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). Before her appointment to the CNESST, she served in several senior positions within the public service, including as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Labour. She also held legal affairs management positions in other provincial ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, and the Ministry of Family. She received the 2023 Dirigeant de l’année award from the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite 2023 by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal and the Prix Leadership by the Association des femmes en finances du Québec in 2017. That same year, she was named one of the 100 most influential women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network.
Senator Mohammad Al Zaibak
A Syrian-born Arab Canadian, Senator Mohammad Al Zaibak is an entrepreneur, businessman and expert in public-private partnerships. Before his Senate appointment, he was president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Development and Marketing Corporation, a specialized information technology services company that he co-founded. He was also the co-founder and director of Teranet Inc., a public-private partnership that developed and now manages Ontario’s Electronic Land Registration Information System. He co-founded Lifeline Syria, a not-for-profit organization that helped nearly 1,200 Syrian refugees be privately sponsored and resettled in Canada, and the Canadian Arab Institute think tank. He served as director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Canada Arab Business Council. Senator Al Zaibak represents Ontario in the Senate.
Senator Mary Robinson
A Senate representative for Prince Edward Island, Senator Mary Robinson is a globally recognized leader in the agricultural sector and an active member of her local community. She worked for over 25 years with the Robinson Group of Companies, a sixth-generation farm and agribusiness in Albany, Prince Edward Island. She has held leadership positions in several agricultural sector organizations at the provincial, national and international levels, including serving as vice-president of the World Farmers’ Organisation and president of the PEI Federation of Agriculture. She was the first female president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and the first female chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. A proud Prince Edward Islander, Senator Robinson has also maintained an active role in her local home and school association, as well as local band, choir and sport programs. She received the PEI Women’s Institute Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award and was named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada by the Atlantic Business Magazine.
Senator Marnie McBean
Senator Marnie McBean is one of the most decorated Olympians in Canadian history. At the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, she won four medals — including three gold — for rowing events. She is one of just two Canadians to be a triple gold medallist at the Summer Games. After her rowing career, she began a motivational speaking career and became an athlete mentor. She was Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and led Team Canada to one of its best Olympic results ever. She has been involved with several social justice-centred causes, including You Can Play, Fast and Female, the Canadian Olympic Committee’s One Team and the Special Olympics Canada Champions Network. Senator McBean is an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, the Row Ontario Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. She was appointed to the Senate to represent Ontario on December 20, 2023.
Senator Paulette Senior
A former president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and former chief executive officer of the YWCA Canada, Senator Paulette Senior represents Ontario in the Senate of Canada. She is known for her advocacy work on women’s issues, including promoting gender equity, addressing gender-based violence, reducing women’s poverty, shrinking the wage gap and promoting the empowerment of women and girls across Canada. She has led, managed and operated Toronto-based shelters, and employment and housing programs. She sat on the board of directors of several organizations, including Oxfam Canada, the Women’s College Hospital and the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council. Senator Senior has received many awards in recognition of her community service, including the African Canadian Achievement Award, the Top 25 Women of Influence Award, and most recently the Skills for Change Impact Changemaker Award. She was appointed to the Senate on December 20, 2023.
Senator Toni Varone
Senator Toni Varone is a businessman and philanthropist known for his work in building affordable housing and for his contributions to the Italian-Canadian community. As president of the Varone Group since 1995, he has overseen companies specializing in services relating to hospitality, construction, land development and property management. He served on the Villa Charities Foundation, the Italian Earthquake Relief Fund and the Peace Through Valour Committee, which honours the Canadian soldiers who fought to liberate Italy during the Second World War. Senator Varone is the recipient of several awards and honours, including the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association Community Achievement Award and the Italian Canadian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award. He was appointed to the Senate to represent Ontario on December 20, 2023.