Member biographies
Brian Francis, Chair
PSG – Prince Edward Island
Appointed to the Senate
- 2018
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Born on Lennox Island First Nation. Attended Lennox Island Indian Day School from grades one to eight. Moved to mainland for high school education. Former federal public servants (including VAC, DFO). Elected as Chief and Band Administrator for Abegweit First Nation from 2007 to 2018 (formerly Lennox Island First Nation). His contributions included helping to increase access to educational and employment opportunities. In addition, Senator Francis led the development of various infrastructure projects including a biodiversity and enhancement hatchery to support conservation and sustainability, a water tower to secure reliable access to safe drinking water, and developments to increase access to safer and secure housing.
Committee Membership
- Chair: Indigenous Peoples
- Member: Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
David M. Arnot, Deputy Chair
ISG – Saskatchewan
Appointed to the Senate
- 2021
Professional Background
- Education and Career: 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.
Committee Membership
- Deputy Chair: Indigenous Peoples
- Member: Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; Human Rights
Mary Coyle
ISG – Nova Scotia - Antigonish
Appointed to the Senate
- 2017
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Senator Coyle started her early career working first in the Southern District of Botswana as the Rural Industrial Officer and then serving as Rural Development Advisor to the District Planning Board in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. For the next decade as Executive Director for Canadian NGO, Calmeadow, Senator. Coyle helped the organization pioneer the creation of the world’s first commercial micro finance bank, BancoSol, in Bolivia and establish the First Peoples Fund to provide micro loans to First Nations and Métis communities in Canada. In 1997, she joined St. Francis Xavier University, serving as Vice President and Director of the school’s Coady International Institute, a world-renowned centre of excellence in community-based development and leadership education. During her tenure, the Coady International Institute grew significantly, enhancing its global education and innovation agenda and expanding programming for women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples.
Committee Membership
- Member: Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Indigenous Peoples
Margo Greenwood
ISG – British Columbia
Appointed to the Senate
- 2022
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Margo Greenwood is a highly respected Indigenous scholar of Cree ancestry. Internationally, Senator Greenwood has worked with UNICEF, the United Nations, the World Forum Foundation, and the Canadian Reference Group to the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Nationally, she has served on the National Public Health Expert Advisory Committee for the Assembly of First Nations, the Canadian Council on Social Determinants of Health, the Indigenous Health Advisory Committee for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Public Health Network of Canada. She also participated in the development of three federal early childhood programs: the First Nations Inuit Child Care Initiative, the Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Program, and the First Nations Head Start On Reserve Program. She also recently co-authored the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework. Provincially, Senator Greenwood serves on the Board of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia and is a Council Member of the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council. She was also a founding member of the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, where she served as the inaugural Vice President for 10 years.
Committee Membership
- Member: Indigenous Peoples
Nancy J. Hartling
ISG – New Brunswick
Appointed to the Senate
- 2016
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Nancy J. Hartling was appointed to the Senate as an independent Senator for New Brunswick in November 2016 after a career focused on families and social issues. Senator Hartling has advocated extensively for socio-economic issues facing families, particularly single parents and their children and is a dedicated proponent of social justice and human rights. She is an advocate for issues relating to gender equality, mental health, juvenile diabetes, ageing, poverty, and Basic Income. She founded and directed the Moncton-based not-for-profit Support to Single Parents Inc. for over 30 years. She is a founding member of St. James Court Inc., an affordable housing complex for single parents.
Committee Membership
- Member: Indigenous Peoples; Human Rights
Yonah Martin
C – British Columbia
Appointed to the Senate
- 2009
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Born in Seoul, South Korea, Yonah Martin immigrated to Canada in 1972, and resided in Metro-Vancouver ever since. She earned a Bachelor of Education in 1987 from University of British Columbia and had a 21-year teaching career (1987-2008) until her appointment to the Senate. She earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 1996. She later co-founded C3 Korean Canadian Society, a non-profit organization that aims to "bridge communities". Currently, she serves as Honorary Patron of C3, in addition to serving on several regional, national and international Boards and Advisory Councils.
Committee Membership
- Joint Chair: Medical Assistance in Dying
- Member: Indigenous Peoples; Banking, Commerce and the Economy
Donald Neil Plett
C – Manitoba - Landmark
Appointed to the Senate
- 2009
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Senator Plett started his involvement in politics at age 15, serving on a local board and helping his MP. He maintained an active interest in politics throughout the years, including serving as the President of the Conservative Party of Canada. He remains the longest-serving president of a conservative party in Canadian history. He also served as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Village Council, and Chair of the local Utilities Board. Senator Plett is known for taking a strong stance on issues that he is passionate about, some of which include: the protection of children, supporting Canadian farmers, religious freedom, free speech, fair democratic processes, and issues facing the trades and construction industry.
Committee Membership
- Member: Subcommittee on Long Term Vision and Plan; Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Subcommittee on Senate Estimates and Committee Budgets; Indigenous Peoples
Paul J. Prosper
CSG – Alberta
Appointed to the Senate
- 2023
Professional Background
- Education and Career: A lifelong advocate for the rights of the Mi’kmaq people, Mr. Prosper is the former Chief of the Paqtnkek (Afton) Mi’kmaw Nation. In 2020, he was elected Assembly of First Nations’ (AFN) Regional Chief for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, representing the collective interests of 17 Mi’kmaw First Nations in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and over 600 First Nations across Canada. Mr. Prosper has served on several boards and committees, including the boards of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority, and Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey as well as the Eastern Door L’nuk Lawyers Group, Ta’n Etli-tpi’tmk Association, and the AFN Chiefs Committee on Child and Family Services. From 2010 to 2013, he taught Mi’kmaq governance and Aboriginal and treaty rights at Cape Breton University.
Committee Membership
- Member: Legal and Constitutional Affairs; Indigenous Peoples
Karen Sorensen
ISG – Alberta
Appointed to the Senate
- 2021
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Sorensen is a strong advocate for the tourism and hospitality sector, clean and sustainable energy, conservation and biodiversity, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Prior to her appointment to the Senate in 2021, Ms. Sorensen served three terms as Mayor of Banff, having also served six years as a municipal councilor and four years as a school board trustee. At the municipal level, Ms. Sorensen served as Chair of the Town of Banff’s Governance and Finance Committee and on the Banff Lake Louise Tourism Board. She contributed to the town’s Environmental Master Plan, Community Plan, and the creation of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission. Ms. Sorensen also served on the Regional Transit Commission, Bow Valley Regional Housing, Banff’s Assessment Review Board, Banff’s Development Appeal Board, and the Banff Heritage Corporation, as well as co-chairing the Bow Valley Human-Wildlife Coexistence Round Table. In addition, she supported her community through the Alberta flood of 2013, the wildfires across the province in 2017, and the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee Membership
- Member: Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; Indigenous Peoples
Scott Tannas
CSG – Alberta
Appointed to the Senate
- 2013
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Senator Tannas is Founder of Western Financial Group Inc. (“Western”), having served as its CEO from 1996 to 2014. From humble beginnings as a small town insurance agent in High River, he engineered the building of Western while fostering a corporate culture of truthfulness, fairness, value, and loyalty. The company now has more than 2000 employees working in over 220 offices that stretch across Canada from coast to coast. Scott Tannas is the only current Senator (and 5th in Parliament’s history) whose appointment to the Upper Chamber came as the result of a public election process. He was one of 13 candidates in the 2012 Alberta Senator-in-Waiting elections, where he received 349,346 votes and was ultimately appointed to the Senate by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper on March 22, 2013. Scott Tannas is a founding member and Leader of the Canadian Senators Group. He is making Senate Reform one of his key priorities as a Senator, and was a founding member of the Special Senate Committee on Senate Modernization, which delivered a series of reports advocating sweeping changes to the operations of the Senate. Senator Tannas is also a member of the Aboriginal Peoples Committee and the Committee of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.
Committee Membership
- Member: Indigenous Peoples
Judy A. White
PSG – Newfoundland and Labrador
Appointed to the Senate
- 2023
Professional Background
- Education and Career: Judy White is a Mi’kmaq, a member of the Flat Bay Band, and a King’s Counsel lawyer with significant experience in human rights issues, Indigenous governance, and legislative matters. Ms. White was previously the Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and, through an interchange arrangement, served as Director of Engagement for Distinctions-based Legislation with the Government of Canada. She has worked on numerous boards and in governance, serving many agencies in various capacities, including as the former Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Newfoundland and Labrador, Chair of the Inuvialuit Arbitration Board, and Co-Chair (Indigenous) of Equal Voice’s Newfoundland and Labrador chapter.
Committee Membership
- Member: Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; Indigenous Peoples