WATCH: Cities across Canada are diverse, but are they inclusive?
In November 2018, Senator Omidvar joined a panel at Evergreen's Future Cities Canada Summit to discuss inclusive, sustainable and just cities.
In The News
Helping Students Go Global
On October 26 2018 Senator Omidvar spoke at the Global Career Booster German(y) event hosted by Toronto Goethe-Institut and the University of Toronto's Department of Germanic Languages and Literature.
How to build on the Senate’s renewal process
"As of October 31, 2018, 56 percent of the senators appointed under Trudeau were women and 16 percent were Indigenous. As a result, 44 percent of the 105 Senate seats are filled by women and 11 percent by Indigenous people."
OPINION: Canada’s border is secure but renewal of immigration system is essential
"The whole process is thorough and professional, conducted with respect for our laws and for the individuals. We were both reassured that peace, order and good governance at the border."
LISTEN: Canada strips Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship
Senator Ratna Omidvar's interview with Australia's Radio National's Breakfast program on adoption of her motion in the Senate of Canada to revoke the honourary citizenship of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Senate votes unanimously to strip Aung San Suu Kyi’s honorary Canadian citizenship
"History teaches us, when people in power are silent, that silence is tantamount to complicity."
An Apology for Multiculturalism
"Not long ago we assumed globalization, with its intensity of interactions, would breed tolerance for others. Instead, we must fight for that ideal, even if flawed, now more than ever."
Improve, then use, name-blind recruitment to boost Senate staff diversity: committee
"A name-blind recruitment project could help improve Senate staff diversity, but only if done properly, according to the head of a Senate group studying employment equity in the Upper Chamber’s administration."
Senate spares impaired immigrant drivers from ‘sledgehammer’ penalty
The Senate has passed a critical amendment to the Impaired Driving Act that would spare permanent residents sentenced to less than six months from being deported.
Tougher impaired driving penalty ‘a double whammy’ for immigrants
“A permanent resident in the same situation would pay the fine and face deportation,” Omidvar added. “It is a double whammy not on all people but just on a class of people. That’s an unintended consequence. The impact on permanent residents would be huge and disproportionate to what a Canadian would get.”