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Appointments to the Senate
November 26, 1997
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced today that His Excellency the Governor General has agreed to summon Ms. Thelma Chalifoux of Alberta and the Honourable Serge Joyal of Quebec to the Senate of Canada.
The appointments are effective immediately.
Biographies are attached.
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PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
Thelma Chalifoux
An innovative educator, and pioneering activist in the field of native housing, Thelma Chalifoux is a leading member of the Canadian Métis community.
Born and educated in Alberta, Ms. Chalifoux is acknowledged as a national authority on Métis and aboriginal issues. And her experience as a single mother raising seven children - not to mention 30 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren - has given her a deep interest in and concern about women's issues.
She has developed her expertise during a long and varied career that formally commenced in 1969, when she joined the Métis Association of Alberta. Since then, she has been the first aboriginal women to broadcast on commercial radio with CKYL Radio Peace River, developed community groups in northern Alberta, specialized in native housing for both the Alberta Housing Corporation and the Métis Housing Corporation, and Co-Chaired the Senate of the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Since 1994, she has been Senior Partner, Chalifoux and Associates Educational and Economic Consulting. The firm specializes in the development and application of Métis specific cross-cultural training courses. She is also currently the owner of Secret Gardens Originals, which specializes in crafts and floral designs.
Ms. Chalifoux also has an outstanding record of voluntary service, including terms as Chair of the Métis National Council Senate, Vice President of the Aboriginal Women's Business Development Corporation and Vice President of the Provincial Association of Friendship Centres. She was also the first Métis woman ever appointed to the Senate of the University of Alberta.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the advancement of the Métis people, Thelma Chalifoux was awarded a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1994.
The Honourable Serge Joyal, P.C., O.C.
An eminent lawyer, public servant and patron of the arts, Serge Joyal has been in the forefront of Quebec public life for over twenty-five years.
Mr. Joyal has earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Montréal. He has also obtained a Master of Laws from Sheffield University in England and a M. Phil. (Studies in Law) from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
He was elected to the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament in 1974, and was re-elected in 1979 and 1980. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and was a founding member of the Joint Senate and House of Commons Committee on Official Languages. He also Co-Chaired the Special Joint Committee on the Constitution in 1980.
Mr. Joyal was sworn to the Privy Council as Minister of State in 1981, and served as Secretary of State for Canada from 1982 to 1984.
Since returning to private life, he has served as Art Counsel with Private Sector Collectors & Museums, Counsel with the public relations firm Gervais Covington & Associates and as Chairman of PA Management International in Montréal. He has served as Director of the Canadian Museum Association, President of the Quebec Museum Association and as a Benefactor of the Quebec Museum of Civilization
Mr. Joyal has also been the recipient of numerous honours, including the Order of Canada, France's Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, and a Honourary Doctor of Laws from the Université de Moncton.
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