Vivienne Poy

An entrepreneur, author, historian, and fashion designer, Senator Vivienne Poy is the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She is Chancellor Emerita of the University of Toronto and a Senior Fellow at Massey College.

Ms. Poy was educated in Hong Kong, England and Canada. She has earned an Honours BA from McGill University, a Diploma in Fashion Arts from Seneca College and an MA., and Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto.

She founded Vivienne Poy Mode in 1981 and over the following fourteen years enjoyed great success in fashion design, manufacturing and retail. She is currently Chairperson of Lee Tak Wai Holdings Ltd.

Ms. Poy is the author of four books: A River Named Lee; Building Bridges: The Life and Times of Richard Charles Lee, Hong Kong, 1905- 1983; Citizenship and Immigration: the Chinese-Canadian Experience - The Nortel Networks' Canadian Studies Address No. 1., and Profit, Victory & Sharpness - The Lees of Hong Kong.

As the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, Ms. Poy was instrumental in having May recognized as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In December 2001, the Senate of Canada officially recognized May as Asian Heritage Month, following the passage of a motion introduced by Ms. Poy. In May, 2002, the Government of Canada declared May as Asian Heritage Month in a formal signing ceremony. Ms. Poy now works closely with Asian Heritage Month Societies across Canada, including as Honourary Patron of the Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society, Toronto’s Asian Heritage Month - Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture Inc., and Vancouver’s Asian Heritage Month Society, as well as Honourary Advisor to Montreal’s Accés Asie Festival, and Honourary Co-Chair of the Asian Heritage Foundation [ Southern Alberta] . She also is supportive of activities in Victoria, Winnipeg, and Fredericton.

Among her many voluntary positions, she is an Honourary Patron of the Chinese Cultural Centres of Greater Toronto and Greater Vancouver, as well as the International Centre of Winnipeg. She is Honourary Advisor to the Buddhist Education Foundation for Canada, and the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project. Ms. Poy is the Patron of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association (Ottawa Chapter), Founding Patron of Helping for a United Good (HUG), a peace and education initiative, a Member of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights National Advisory Council, and an Honorary Chair of ORBIS Canada’s Chinese Advisory Council.

Ms. Poy has been recognized for her contributions to intercultural understanding by many community organizations, receiving a Gold Medal Award of Excellence in Race Relations, an Outstanding Asian Canadian Award from the Canadian Multicultural Council, Asians in Ontario, and an Eid-ul-Fitr Award from the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada . She was also named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, by the Women’s Executive Network, in the ‘Trailblazer’ category.

In recognition of her national and international contributions, she has received honourary degrees from around the world.

[Source: Website of the Parliament of Canada http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsMembers...

Biography
Summary

An author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, and historian, Vivienne Poy is the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She was appointed to the Senate in 1998. She served as Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 2003 until 2006.

She founded Vivienne Poy Mode in 1981 and over the following fourteen years enjoyed great success in fashion design, manufacturing and retail. She is currently Chairwoman of Lee Tak Wai Holdings Limited.

Senator Poy is married to Dr. Neville Poy, a retired plastic surgeon and avid photographer. They have three sons, Ashley, Justin and Carter, and three grandchildren. The family enjoys travelling, photography and gardening.

Professional Activities
• Chancellor Emerita, University of Toronto
• Member of the Senate of Canada (1998 -)
• Chairwoman of Lee Tak Wai Holdings Limited (1980 -)

The Senate
Member of:
• the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
• the MP/Senator Zimbabwe Twinning Initiative
• Numerous Parliamentary Associations and Friendship Groups

Former Member of:
• the Standing Committee on Human Rights
• the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
• the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
• the National Liberal Task Force on Youth Entrepreneurship

Education
Ph.D., University of Toronto, History Department - Thesis "Calling Canada Home: Canadian
Law and Immigrant Chinese Women from South China and Hong Kong, 1860-1990"
M.A. (History), University of Toronto
Honours B.A. (History), McGill University
Diploma (Fashion Arts), Seneca College

Publications
Books and Published Papers:
The China Challenge: Sino-Canadian Relations in the 21st Century, University of Ottawa Press, 2011
香港利氏家族史, Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2011
Profit, Victory, and Sharpness: the Lees of Hong Kong, 2006
Citizenship and Immigration: the Chinese-Canadian Experience. The Nortel Networks' Canadian Studies Address No. 1. University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2002
Building Bridges: the Life and Times of Richard Charles Lee, Hong Kong 1905
- 1983, Toronto, 1998
A River Named Lee, Toronto, 1995

Languages
Fluent: Chinese (Cantonese), English
Some knowledge of: Chinese (Mandarin), German, French

Academic Community :

McGill University
Established entrance scholarships
Established the Lee Chair in Chinese Culture

University of Toronto
Chancellor Emerita
Member of the Presidents' Circle
Member of the Religion in the Public Sphere Advisory Board,
Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto
Member, Canadian Studies Advisory Board, University College
Established the Vivienne Poy Endowment in Asian Canadian Cultural Studies
Established the Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library
Established the Lee Chair in Chinese Thought and Culture
Established post-graduate Chancellor's Fellowships

York University
Vivienne Poy Asian Research Award

University of Victoria
Member of the Advisory Council of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society

Seneca College
Member (Hon) of the Seneca College Fashion Resource Centre

Social/Cultural Community
Memberships
Member, International Women's Forum (IWF)
Senior Fellow, Massey College
Member of the Board, ORBIS Canada
Member of the Friends of Margaret McCain Hall, St. Thomas University , 2005
Member of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights National Advisory Council
Founding Member of the Governor's Circle of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Member of the Canadian Asian Studies Association (CASA)
Honorary Board Member, Canadian Sinfionetta Chamber Orchestra

Advisory Positions
Honorary Chair of the Board of Advisors, Virtual Museum of Asian
Canadian Cultural Heritage (VMACCH)
Member of the Honorary Celebration Cabinet for 150 Years in
Golden Mountain Celebrations
Honorary Advisor to the Buddhist Education Foundation for Canada
Member of the Advisory Board, Canada-DPR Korea Association
Honorary Advisor to Sedai, the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project
Honorary Board Member of the Kidney Foundation (Ontario Region)
Honorary Advisor Montreal Accès Asie Festival
Honorary Co-Chair of the Asian Heritage Foundation [Southern Alberta]
Honorary Memorial Committee for the Jewish War Veterans Memorial (Toronto)
Honorary Advisor to the 2004 Toronto Hakka Conference
Honorary Co-Chair to the 100 Years of Buddhism in Canada Celebration, 2005

Patron
Honorary Patron, Association of Chinese Canadian Professionals (ACCP)
Honorary Patron of the Simon Fraser University David Lam Center's Chinese Canadian History Project
Honorary Patron, Chinese Canadian Legend Award, 2010
Honorary Patron, Taiwan Entrepreneurs Society Taipei/Toronto
Honorary Patron, Ontario Genealogical Society
Honorary Patron, Education Foundation of the Chinese Professionals Association of
Canada (CPAC)
Honorary Patron, Chinese Canadian Heritage Fund
Honorary Patron, Canadian Future Achievers Awards
Honorary Patron, Ottawa Chinatown Gateway Project
Honorary Patron, The Immigrant Centre of Manitoba
Founding Patron, Helping for a United Good (HUG)
Patron of the Era 21 Networking Breakfast for Young Canadians on Parliament Hill
Honorary Patron, Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture, Toronto
Honorary Patron of the Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society
Honorary Patron of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
Honorary Patron, Jobs Vision Success (JVS), Toronto
Patron of the Canadian Chinese Congress of St. John Ambulance, Toronto
Honorary Patron of the Canada-Hong Kong Business Association (Ottawa Chapter)
Honorary Patron of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
Patron of the Centre for Information and Community Services
Honorary Patron of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver
Honorary Patron, Carefirst Seniors and Community Services Association
Honorary Patron, Vision Youth Leadership Program
Honorary Patron, Spirit of Life

Honorary Degrees and Professorship:

Doctor of Laws, McGill University (2011)
Doctor of Laws, University of Toronto (2009)
Doctor of Laws, University of Manitoba (2006)
Doctor of Laws, University of Hong Kong (2006)
Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa), Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA (2005)
Honorary Professor, Yanbian University of Science and Technology, Yanji, Jilin,
China (2003)
Honorary Ph.D. in Political Science, Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea (2003)

Awards and Honours
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
Top 25 Canadian Immigrants 2010, Canadian Immigrant Magazine
Inaugural Golden Mountain Achievements Award at the 150 Years in
Golden Mountain celebration, Victoria, BC (August 2008)
Cambridge Lifetime Achievement Award, 2006
Eid-ul-Fitr 2005 Award
Seneca College Distinguished Alumni Award (2005)
Women's Executive Network - Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100;
Trailblazer Award (2003)
Bestowed Mohawk name of "Ka Tsi Tsa Ken Reh" "a rare and beautiful flower" (2003)
Queen's Jubilee Award (2002)
Gold Medal Award of Excellence in Race Relations (2002)
Nominated as Woman of the Year by the American Biographical Institute (1998)
Arbor Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the University of Toronto (1997)
International Women's Day Award (1996)

Inclusions
Canadian Legal Studies Series: Women, Law, and Social Change - Core Readings and Current Issues, 5th Edition
Public Speaking in Canada: Building Competency in Stages
The Last Goodbye
Tasting Diversity: a celebration of immigrant women and their cooking
Five Hundred Leaders of Influence The International Directory of Distinguished
Leadership, 8th edition
Life Fellow of the International Biographical Association
International Who's Who of Intellectuals, 13th edition
Who's Who of Canadian Women
Who's Who in Canada
Canada at the Millennium
The Outstanding Immigrants in the New Millennium
Canada's Immigrants, Heroes and Countrymen
Canadian Sources: Investigated 1914 to the Present, by Elizabeth Freeman-Shaw &
Jan Haskings-Winner, Emond Montgomery Publications Limited, Toronto, 2008.
Ten Outstanding Canadians ISBN 978-7-5075-2318-8

Philanthropy
Sponsor of the Famous 5 Monument in Calgary and on Parliament Hill (1 of 5)
Established the Richard Charles Lee Library and Resource Centre, Chinese
Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
Established the Richard Charles Lee Building, Monsheong Home for Seniors
Sponsor of the Stairway to the Stars and the grand piano at the Famous People Players
Sponsor of a community theatre for the North York Performing Arts Centre, Toronto

Highlights of Past Experience & Community Service
Professional:
President of Calyan Publishing Limited (1994-2003)
Proprietor of Vivienne Poy Beauty Products (1990-2001)
President and Designer of Vivienne Poy Mode (1981-1995)

University:
University of Toronto
Member of the Governing Council
Member of the Advisory Board of the Canada-Hong Kong Resource Centre,
Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies (JCAPS)
Member of the Nominating Committee for Honorary Degrees
Member of the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Arts and Science
Convener of the Committee for the Support of Higher Education

McGill University
Governor
Member of the Board of Visitors, Faculty of Arts
Member of the Advisory Board of the Tianyige Library Project (Ningbo, China)
Member of the McGill Ontario Region Advisory Board

Community:
Honorary Chair, Jews in Shanghai Exhibition, 2002
Honorary Co-Chair, Symposium "Leaps and Bounds", Bata Shoe Museum, 2002
Honorary Chair, National Campaign for the Natural Partnership Campaign of the
Canadian Museum of Nature, 2002
Honorary Patron of the Hong Kong Tourist Association's Dragon 2000 Design Contest
Honorary Patron of the Iron Road Opera, 2000
Honorary Patron of the Millennium Toronto Chinese Photographic Exhibition, 1999
Member of the Women Entrepreneurs of Canada (1994-1999)
Trustee and Member of the Nominating Committee of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Trustee of the National Gallery of Canada
Director of the Canadian Stage Company
Member of the Fashion Group International, Toronto Chapter
Co-Chair for the Scarborough General Hospital Foundation's World's Worst Painting
and Art Auction
Member of the City of Scarborough's Image Committee
Co-Chair for the Kidney Foundation Luncheon and Fashion Show
One Woman Fashion Show for the Kidney Foundation Fundraising dinner
Founder and Chair of the Cathay Ball (92-93)
Major contributor and member of Scarborough General Hospital's Capital Campaign


[Source: Senator Vivienne Poy personal website. http://www.viviennepoy.ca/english/bio...]