COMMITTEES

One of a senator’s most important roles is their work on committees. In fact, Muriel McQueen Fergusson, the first female Speaker of the Senate, described committee work as the “heart and soul” of the Senate. Senators serving on committees provide crucial oversight of proposed legislation and investigate matters of importance to Canadians.

Senate committees are made up of a group of senators from across group/party lines. The members work together to examine and improve legislation, and they undertake studies on issues of importance to Canadians.

Senator Black is currently the Chair of the Standing Senate Committees on Agriculture and Forestry. He is also a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament and the Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.

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Senator Black's Committees

Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

Senator Black's role on the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (AGFO) has been a very important part of his time as a senator so far. They have studied, among other things, Canada’s value-added food sector, supply management system, and several pieces of legislation.

Senator Black hopes that the committee will be able to undertake a study on soil health, a topic that is extremely important to the country’s future. He put forward the idea for such a study in November 2020. Senator Black believes that the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry is well positioned to make a real difference by following through on the study of soil.

For more information about the committee, including its current members, its past studies and reports, and transcripts from meetings, visit the Senate’s AGFO page.

Senators on the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry visiting Chudleigh's Ltd. in Halton Hills, Ontario (March 2019)
Senators Black, Omidvar, Mercer, Seidman, and Mockler at the press conference for the release of the CSSB report (June 2019)