The Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) is a

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

. It has a mandate to examine legislation and matters relating to social affairs, science and technology generally, including: (1) veterans affairs; (2) Indian and Inuit affairs; (3) cultural affairs and the arts; (4) social and labour matters; (5) health and welfare; (6) pensions; (7) housing; (8) fitness and amateur sport; (9) employment and immigration; (10)

consumer affairs Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

; and (11) youth affairs (Rule 86(1)(m)). From 1984 to 2000 the committee in each session established a Subcommittee on

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

to examine matters pertaining specifically to Canadian veterans.

Members

As of March 30, 2022, the committee's members are: *

Ratna Omidvar Ratna Omidvar (born November 5, 1949) is a Canadian politician and academic, who was named to the Senate of Canada to represent Ontario on March 18, 2016.

, chair *

Patricia Bovey Patricia E. Bovey (born May 15, 1948) is a Canadian art historian from Manitoba. Bovey was the director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1980–1999) and the Winnipeg Art Gallery (1999–2004); art consultant (2004–2016); founder and di ...

, deputy chair *

Wanda Thomas Bernard Wanda Thomas Bernard (born August 1, 1953) is a Canadian senator. She was formerly a social worker and educator from East Preston, Nova Scotia. Bernard is the first Black Canadian to have an academic tenure position and become a full professor a ...

Donna Dasko Donna Dasko (born August 19, 1951) is a Canadian senator The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral ...

Stan Kutcher Stan Kutcher is a Canadian Senator and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 12, 2018. Before his appointment, Dr. Kutcher was Department Head of Psychiatry at Dalhou ...

Frances Lankin Frances Lankin, (born April 16, 1954), is a Canadian senator, former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012, she co-chair ...

Marilou McPhedran Marilou McPhedran (born July 22, 1951) is a Canadian lawyer and human rights advocate. In October 2016, McPhedran was named to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sit as an independent. She was the Principal (dean) of th ...

Rosemary Moodie Rosemary Moodie is a Canadian neonatal physician who was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 12, 2018. Moodie is a neonatologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and Professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto's Department ...

Dennis Patterson Dennis Glen Patterson (born December 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served as MLA for Frobisher Bay and Iqaluit from 1978 to 1995, as NWT Minister of Education, Justice and Municipal Affairs and was chosen as the fifth prem ...

Chantal Petitclerc Chantal Petitclerc (born December 15, 1969) is a Canadian wheelchair racer and a Senator from Quebec. Early life At the age of 13, Petitclerc lost the use of both legs in an accident when at a friend's farm, a heavy barn door fell on her, fra ...

Rose-May Poirier Rose-May Poirier (born March 2, 1954) is a Canadian politician from New Brunswick. She has been a member of the Senate of Canada since February 28, 2010. Previously, she served as member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Rogersvi ...

Josée Verner Josée Verner, (born December 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Louis-Saint-Laurent in the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 to 2011 as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. She also served ...

The

Representative of the Government in the Senate The representative of the Government in the Senate (french: représentant du gouvernement au Sénat) is the member of the Senate of Canada who is responsible for introducing, promoting, and defending the government's bills in the Senate after th ...

and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate are both ex-officio members of the committee.

References

{{Canadian Parliament Standing Committees Committees of the Senate of Canada