During the administration of the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney, Tommy Banks was appointed for two consecutive terms to the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts, and to a further term as policy adviser to the Board.
He was appointed by the Minister of Finance, the Hon. Michael Wilson to two consecutive terms as a member of the Sectoral Advisory Group, International Trade (SAGIT) which advised the Government during negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Under the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark he served as Alberta spokesman in the campaign for the national referendum on constitutional amendment and, with Professor Kathleen Mahoney, argued the “yes” side, opposing Stephen Harper and Mel Hurtig on the referendum’s televised debate.
During the administration of the Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien, and following a fifty-year international career as a musician, Tommy Banks was summoned to the Senate of Canada on 7 April 2000.
He is a member of the Liberal Parliamentary Caucus.
In the Senate, he has served as a member of the Standing Committee on National Finance, the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, and the Standing Committee on National Security and Defence.
In each of the 37th, 38th, and 39th Parliaments he has been elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources.
In the 37th and 38th Parliaments he served as Chairman of the Alberta Liberal Parliamentary Caucus.
Following dissolution of the 37th Parliament Senator Banks was named to a Committee of Parliamentarians given the task of advising the Government on the setting up of parliamentary oversight of security intelligence matters.
He has served on an ad hoc basis on several additional committees of the Senate.
Senator Banks is the author and sponsor of The Statutes Repeal Act which was passed by the Senate, passed unanimously in the House of Commons, and received the Royal Assent on June 18, 2008.
He has additionally been the sponsor of several Government Bills in the Senate, including those dealing with species at risk, and with the establishment of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
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