Biography

The Honorable Senator Thanh Hai Ngo was appointed to the Upper House on September 6, 2012 by the Right Honorable Governor General David Johnston on the recommendation of the Right Honorable Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A member of the Conservative Caucus, the Honorable Thanh Hai Ngo is the first Vietnamese-Canadian senator to serve in the Senate of Canada.

Senator Ngo immigrated to Canada in 1975 after the fall of Saigon and the coming to power of the Vietnamese communist government. Since then, he has been a strong advocate for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law – and a strong supporter of the struggle against communist oppression. His professional experience includes his appointment as a Judicial Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees. He has also pursued a career as a teacher in the field of education and as a teacher.

Senator Thanh Hai Ngo was born on January 3, 1947 in Vietnam. He currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

Education

The Honorable Thanh Hai Ngo graduated from the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) with a degree in Social Sciences and Humanities in 1970, and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education from the University of Ottawa. The senator fluent French, English and Vietnamese.

Teacher

The Honorable Thanh Hai Ngo was a specialist educator and taught at the French Cultural Center in Saigon and at the Vietnamese-American Association. He also worked for the French Alliance from 1966 to 1968 as a teacher specializing in French teaching in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Beginning in 1976, the Senator taught at the high school and middle school levels for nearly 30 years in Ottawa for the Carleton Board of Education.

Diplomat

From 1971 to 1975, Senator Ngo was the head of the press and information bureau, as well as spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Saigon. He was then press attaché for two years and head of the political office at the Embassy of the Republic of Vietnam in Bangkok, Thailand. As a diplomatic attache, the senator was also a United Nations representative on the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Saigon Falls

After the fall of Saigon in 1975 and the end of the Vietnam War, Senator Thanh Hai Ngo had to leave his homeland to the communist regime then in power. With his wife and two children, he found refuge in Canada, with whom he welcomed him with open arms, 120,000 Vietnamese refugees.

Judge of citizenship

The Honorable Thanh Hai Ngo was appointed a Citizenship Judge in 2007. As part of his work, he was responsible for assessing citizenship applications and verifying that applicants meet the requirements of the Citizenship Act. Through his duties, he guaranteed fairness to all individuals and ensured the integrity of the citizenship process; it was also responsible for promoting citizenship to various institutions and institutions, such as schools, multicultural groups and community groups.

President of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees

De 2002 à 2007, le sénateur Ngo assuma la présidence du conseil arbitral de l’assurance emploi, un organe administratif impartial et indépendant. Dans ce cadre, il devait examiner les appels des demandeurs de prestations d’assurance emploi et des employeurs afin de veiller à l’application de la Loi sur l’assurance emploi.

Sénateur 

Parlementaire engagé, le sénateur Ngo est un membre actif de plusieurs comités permanents au Sénat : le Comité permanent des droits de la personne, le Comité permanent de la sécurité nationale et de la défense, le Comité Affaires étrangères et du commerce international et le Comité régie interne, des budgets et de l’administration. Ces comités essentiels sont des artisans de changements transformateurs pour la société canadienne.

Droit de la personne

L’honorable Thanh Hai Ngo est activement engagé dans la promotion des droits de l’homme à l’échelle nationale et internationale, notamment au Vietnam. À titre de sénateur et de citoyen, il désire par ses actions sensibiliser le monde au sujet des violations de ces droits. Le sénateur milite pour la paix, la démocratie et la justice au Vietnam et promeut ces valeurs dans l’espoir qu’un vent de liberté souffle dans la région.

Pluralisme culturel

Les Canadiens sont fiers, à juste titre, du pluralisme de leur pays grâce auquel tous les citoyens, peu importe leur ethnicité, leur foi ou leur pays d’origine, ont leur place dans la société. En tant que premier sénateur vietnamien canadien, l’honorable Thanh Hai Ngo promeut l’harmonie entre les collectivités du Canada par ses nombreux engagements au sein de diverses communautés culturelles minoritaires et ethniques.

Jeunesse et éducation

Afin d’encourager la jeunesse, le bureau du sénateur Ngo offre chaque année l’occasion de découvrir le monde parlementaire dans le cadre d’un stage d’été. Les jeunes peuvent ainsi approfondir leur compréhension de sujets tels que les droits de la personne, l’économie ou la politique canadienne et internationale. Ce stage est une expérience de travail unique propice à l’acquisition de compétences essentielles de communication et d’administration.

Fondateur du Comité international pour un Vietnam libre

En 1979, le sénateur Ngo a fondé avec l’honorable David Kilgour, ancien Ministre d’état du Canada pour l’Asie et du Pacifique, le Comité international pour un Vietnam libre (CIVL). Composé de nombreux parlementaires au Canada et dans le monde, ce groupe se porte à la défense des droits de la personne.

Reconnaissances

Senator Ngo received the Certificate of Civic Merit in 1982 from the Minister of State for Multiculturalism. Between 1980 and 1982, the Honorable Thanh Hai Ngo was President of the Vietnamese Community in Ottawa and is still an active member of various Vietnamese communities in Canada and overseas. He was founder and president of the Ottawa Vietnamese Non-Profit Residence Corporation, working to make affordable housing accessible to low-income families.

Tweets by SenatorNgo