Ratna Omidvar

Member of Parliament - Senator | Canada

A native of Amritsar, Senator Ratna Omidvar immigrated to Germany to study there before living in Iran and arriving in Canada in 1981. Her own experiences of displacement, integration and citizen engagement have been the foundation of her work as an internationally recognized voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. In April 2016, Ms. Omidvar was appointed to the Senate of Canada as an independent senator representing Ontario. As a member of the Senate’s Independent Senators Group she holds a leadership position as Liaison.

Prior to her appointment to the Canadian Senate, she was President of the Maytree Foundation and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University where she founded the Global Diversity Exchange. Senator Omidvar is a Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy, a Director at the Century Initiative, a Council Member at the World Refugee and Migration Council and Chair Emerita at the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. Senator Omidvar is a Member of the Order of Canada, an appointee to the Order of Ontario and a recipient of the Cross of the Order of Merit from Germany.

Senator Omidvar received her bachelor’s degree from the University Delhi and her favourite song is Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound,”.