Colin Kenny was summoned to the Senate on June 29th, 1984 by the Right Honourable Pierre Trudeau, representing the Province of Ontario. From 1969 until 1979 he was in the Prime Minister's Office as Special Assistant, Director of Operations, Policy Advisor and Assistant Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the early 1980s, he served as an executive with Dome Petroleum in Calgary, Alberta.
During his parliamentary career, Senator Kenny has served on numerous committees of special relevance to defence and national security issues. They include the Special Committee on Terrorism and Security from 1986-88 and again from 1989-91, and the Special Joint Committee on Canadian Defence Policy in 1994. In 2004, Senator
Kenny vice-chaired the Interim Committee of Parliamentarians on National Security focusing security and intelligence community oversight. He was the inaugural Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, serving from 2001-2009.
Senator Kenny has also been active in the North Atlantic Parliamentary Assembly where he was elected Rapporteur for the Defence and Security Committee (2000-2001), Chair of the Subcommittee on the Future of Security and Defence Capabilities (1999-2000), Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on the Future of the Armed Forces (1999-2000).
Senator Kenny has also authored and sponsored a number of pieces of private member’s legislation on Alternative Fuels and Tobacco Control. He succeeding in getting legislation passed which called for the conversion of 75% of the federal government vehicle fleet to alternative fuels including ethanol, methanol, propane, natural gas, and electricity. His efforts to combat youth smoking alone resulted in a ten-fold increase in spending on federal anti-smoking programs.
Senator Kenny served as Deputy Chair of the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs from 2001 to 2002. Their final report, "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy" can be found here.
Senator Kenny has been widely published on a range of issues including defence policy, tobacco control, ballistic missile defence, Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, defence procurement, strategic airlift, alternative fuels, the Arctic and off-shore drilling operations, aviation security, port security, border security, and wide variety of Canadian political issues.
Senator Kenny is a former board member and Deputy Chair of Ashbury College.
In 2009, Senator Kenny became a Commissioner of the Trilateral Commission.
In 2012, he became a member of the Johns Hopkins University, Atlantic Basin Initiative’s Eminent Persons Group.
Senator Kenny is the recipient of:
the Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Medal (1977)
the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992)
the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
Education:
Senator Kenny attended Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, QC from 1954 to 1962.
In 1966, Senator Kenny graduated from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont with a Bachelor of Science in Business.
In 1967, he recieved a public service fellowship from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire while attending the Tuck School of Business.
Membership on Senate and Joint Committees (1984 to present)
33rd Parliament, 1st Session (Nov 1984 – Aug 1986)
- Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Standing Joint Committee on Printing
33rd Parliament, 2nd Session (Sept 1986 – Oct 1988)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Special Committee on Terrorism and Public Safety
34th Parliament, 1st Session (Dec 1988 – Feb 1989)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
34th Parliament, 2nd Session (April 1989 – May 1991)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Special Committee on Terrorism and Public Safety
- Committee on Standing Rules and Orders
34th Parliament, 3rd Session (May 1991 – Sept 1993)
- Standing Committee on Privileges, Standing Rules and Orders
- Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
35th Parliament, 1st Session (Jan 1994 – Feb 1996)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (VICE CHAIR)
- Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations
- Special Joint Committee on Canada’s Defence Policy
35th Parliament, 2nd Session (Feb 1996 – April 1997)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (VICE CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
- Task Force on Corporate Governance
36th Parliament, 1st Session (Sept 1997 – Sept 1999)
- Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Privileges, Standing Rules and Orders
- Standing Committee on Transport and Communications
- Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
36th Parliament, 2nd Session (Oct 1999 – Oct 2000)
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, Subcommittee on Human Resources (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
- Special Committee on Illegal Drugs
- Special Committee on Bill C-20 Clarity as set out in the opinion of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Quebec Secession Reference
37th Parliament, 1st Session (Jan 2001 – Sept 2002)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Special Committee on Illegal Drugs (VICE CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Standing Committee on Fisheries
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Special Committee on Bill C-36
- Standing Committee on National Finance
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence , Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
37th Parliament, 2nd Session (Sept 2002 – Nov 2003)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
37th Parliament, 3rd Session (Feb 2004 – May 2004)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
- Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament
38th Parliament, 1st Session (Oct 2004 – Nov 2005)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
39th Parliament, 1st Session (April 2006 – Sept 2007)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
- Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament
39th Parliament, 2nd Session (Oct 2007 – Sept 2008)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
40th Parliament, 1st Session (Jan 2009 – Dec 2009)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence (CHAIR)
- Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs
41st Parliament, 2nd Session (Oct 2013 – Aug 2015)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence
42nd Parliament, 1st Session (Dec 2015 – Present)
- Standing Committee on National Security and Defence
NORTH ATLANTIC PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Elected Rapporteur of the Defence and Security Committee (1999 - 2000)
Elected Chair of the Subcommittee on the Future of Security and Defence Capabilities (1999-2000)
Elected Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on the Future of the Armed Forces (1999-2000).