Economic Policy Courses

The Honourable Leo Housakos was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2008 by The Rt. Honourable Stephen Harper. Elected Speaker Pro Tempore in 2014, he was named Speaker of the Senate by Prime Minister Harper in 2015.  

One of his proudest achievements in the Senate was the 2023 passing of his bill legally requiring the federal government to develop and implement a national autism framework.

Senator Housakos currently chairs the committee on Transport and Communications and is also a long-time member of the Foreign Affairs committee.

A staunch and vocal supporter of strengthening Canada’s trade and economic ties with countries who share our values of rule of law, human rights, freedom and democracy, Senator Housakos is a vocal advocate of these values and often speaks out against regimes like those in Beijing, Iran, Turkey, and Cuba. He is a steadfast friend to the people of Armenia and of Israel.

The Senator’s passion for public policy and service dates back to his involvement with the youth wing of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada at the age of sixteen.  He has remained involved in politics at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.  

His community involvement includes raising funds for Socrates-Demosthenes and Giant Steps School and Resource Centre, as well as initiatives by the Hellenic Ladies Benevolent Society.

Following his graduation from McGill University, Senator Housakos enjoyed a successful career in business, became a founding member of the Hellenic Board of Trade Of Greater Montreal, and served two terms as Vice-President of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec.

Mr. Tony Loffreda was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2019 by the Governor General of Canada on the advice of the Prime Minister.  He is the first Canadian born Senator of Italian descent. 

He currently sits on the Senate’s National Finance Committee and its Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee.  He also serves on a number of Senate Working Groups and is Vice-Chair of the Canada-Italy Interparliamentary Group.  He is a member of the Independent Senators Group.

Prior to his appointment, Senator Loffreda was a Vice Chairman and Executive at RBC. He brings to the Senate over 35 years of experience in the financial industry.

Senator Loffreda has served on various boards and committees including, but not limited to, the Concordia University Board of Governors; the Integrated Health and Social Services University Network for West-Central Montréal; Montréal International; the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation; the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada; and the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal. 

Once nominated to the Canadian Senate, Senator Loffreda retired from RBC and resigned from the twenty-one boards he was serving on.

He is a leading philanthropist, active in service to many communities, having chaired fundraising activities across the province for various causes such as the Giant Steps School; the Montréal Jewish General Hospital; McGill University Goodman Research Centre; the Montréal Cancer Institute and many more. He is also a frequent and sought-after speaker on economic and community issues. 

Among his many awards and distinctions, he is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Québec’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Merit; the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Governor General of Canada Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers; the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association’s Person of the Year Award; the Philhellene of the Year Award by the Hellenic Community of Greater Montréal; and the Senate of Canada 150^th Anniversary Medal which he received prior to his appointment.  He was also inducted as an administrator into the Montréal-Concordia Soccer Hall of Fame.

Senator Loffreda passed the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Final Exam and earned a USA - Certified Public Accountant designation through the University of Illinois.

Senator Loffreda also holds a Chartered Global Management Accountant international designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

He earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in accounting from the University of Concordia.

Source & photo credit: https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/loffreda-tony/

Mr. Tony Loffreda was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2019 by the Governor General of Canada on the advice of the Prime Minister.  He is the first Canadian born Senator of Italian descent. 

He currently sits on the Senate’s National Finance Committee and its Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee.  He also serves on a number of Senate Working Groups and is Vice-Chair of the Canada-Italy Interparliamentary Group.  He is a member of the Independent Senators Group.

Prior to his appointment, Senator Loffreda was a Vice Chairman and Executive at RBC. He brings to the Senate over 35 years of experience in the financial industry.

Senator Loffreda has served on various boards and committees including, but not limited to, the Concordia University Board of Governors; the Integrated Health and Social Services University Network for West-Central Montréal; Montréal International; the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation; the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada; and the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal. 

Once nominated to the Canadian Senate, Senator Loffreda retired from RBC and resigned from the twenty-one boards he was serving on.

He is a leading philanthropist, active in service to many communities, having chaired fundraising activities across the province for various causes such as the Giant Steps School; the Montréal Jewish General Hospital; McGill University Goodman Research Centre; the Montréal Cancer Institute and many more. He is also a frequent and sought-after speaker on economic and community issues. 

Among his many awards and distinctions, he is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Québec’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Merit; the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Governor General of Canada Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers; the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association’s Person of the Year Award; the Philhellene of the Year Award by the Hellenic Community of Greater Montréal; and the Senate of Canada 150^th Anniversary Medal which he received prior to his appointment.  He was also inducted as an administrator into the Montréal-Concordia Soccer Hall of Fame.

Senator Loffreda passed the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Final Exam and earned a USA - Certified Public Accountant designation through the University of Illinois.

Senator Loffreda also holds a Chartered Global Management Accountant international designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

He earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in accounting from the University of Concordia.

Source: https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/loffreda-tony/

Born in Manitoba, Senator Massicotte obtained his Bachelor of Commerce (Dean’s Honour List) in 1974, from the University of Manitoba.

In 1976, while working at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, he earned the designation of Chartered Accountant from the Manitoba Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the following year he became a member of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec/Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec. In February 2005, Senator Massicotte was granted the title of Fellow from the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec/Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec, the profession’s highest honorific designation.

From 1977 onwards, he was successively appointed to senior executive positions with commercial real estate development firms in Western Canada, before moving to Montreal in 1985 to join the Alexis Nihon Group, a major commercial real estate owner. Senator Massicotte was President and co-owner of Alexis Nihon from 1985 to 2006. He was also the owner of Attractions Hippiques from 2006 to 2009.

Senator Massicotte was appointed to the Senate on June 26, 2003, on the advice of the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien. He has joined the Independent Senators Group in October 2017. He is currently Chair of the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources and a member of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. He has previously served on numerous other committees including the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Special Committee on Senate Modernization, the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and on the Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. Senator Massicotte’s committee memberships allow him to work towards the causes that matter deeply to him, such as international trade, action against climate change, and improving Canada’s economic conditions to contribute to the prosperity of all Canadians. He is also actively committed to efforts for the Senate modernization.

Senator Massicotte is also very active in interparliamentary work. He is the Co-Chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association, the Vice-Chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Association and a member of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Association. In these capacities, he regularly represents Canada at various meetings with his counterparts in such places as Washington, D.C. and Japan.

In the past, Senator Massicotte contributed as Director and Lead Director of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada and was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Agellan Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee of Mercantile Bancorp Limited. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Real Property Association of Canada, the Canadian Home Income Plan, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal Foundation and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. Senator Massicotte has also been Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization (Quebec Chapter), past member of the Canadian Board of the Young Presidents’ Organization, as well as a member of the Regional Council of the Société du Quartier International de Montréal. He was a founding Director, Chairman and President of the Urban Development Institute of Quebec. He was also a Board member of the insurance company La Solidarité, and a member of the Study Committee on Fiscal Equity at the Municipal Level in the Montreal area.

Senator Massicotte also acted as Honorary Co-Chair at fundraising campaigns for the George Stephen House Trust Fund and was one of the Honorary Patrons for the financial campaigns of Quebec women shelters Le Chaînon. Senator Massicotte and his wife organized different fundraising activities including a fashion show benefitting the Centre d’Action Bénévoles de la Vallée de la Richelieu. Most recently he sat on the Board of Directors of the Ste-Anne’s Hospital Foundation. He is still active with several other social and charitable institutions.