Senator Bernadette Clement
Bernadette Clement is a legal aid lawyer and politician. She was the first woman to be elected as mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, and the first Black woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario. Prior to this, she served three terms as a city councillor.
Senator Clement is proud of her complex intersectional identity: her francophone mother grew up in Manitoba and her centenarian anglophone father grew up in Trinidad. As a bilingual Canadian, Senator Clement is a proud advocate for this country’s linguistic plurality – French, English, and Indigenous language rights and revitalization.
She is currently a member of the Standing Senate Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Transport and Communications, and Official Languages. She previously served on the Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures, and the Rights of Parliament.
A passionate speaker, Bernadette intervenes in committee study and Senate debate most often in defense of marginalized groups, which she consults regularly. She is also eager to connect youth and other Canadians with the Senate through social media, community events, and speaking engagements.
Senator Clement joined the Independent Senators Group after her appointment, and since December 2022, has served as Chamber Coordinator. This demanding role combines her interests in rules and procedure with her love of politics.
Bernadette holds degrees in Civil Law and Common Law from the University of Ottawa. In 1991, after being called to the Bar of Ontario, she moved to Cornwall and started her legal career with the non-profit corporation Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic, where she still works part-time today. She worked as a lawyer, before serving as Deputy Director for 16 years, and Executive Director for four years.
Senator Clement continues to practice law, focusing on representing injured workers. She is an ardent advocate for marginalized groups and, over the course of her career, has extended her work to volunteering with Maison Baldwin House, Kinsmen Community Residence, Cornwall and District Immigrant Services Agency, and Inspire Community Support Services.
Bernadette also taught Ethics and Legalities to health care students at St. Lawrence College from 2001 to 2005. She is a member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario and the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Law Association. She is a recipient of a Cornwall District and Labour Council award for outstanding service to injured workers and a Legal Aid Ontario GEM award for outstanding achievement.
Senator Clement was appointed to the Senate on June 22, 2021, representing Ontario. She lives in Cornwall, Ontario, where she remains connected with her community.