Current Committee

Frances Lankin, P.C.

Frances Lankin was appointed on January 29, 2009, as a Member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), an agency which provides Parliament and the Canadian public with an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). SIRC also investigates complaints by individuals concerning CSIS and examines reports by Ministers relating to the national security of Canada.

Frances Lankin has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Toronto since 2001, guiding the organization through its strategic transformation to a leading community builder in the city.

Ms. Lankin has spent a lifetime in service to the community and is a recognized leader in the non-profit sector. In 2006, she chaired a federal government-commissioned Blue Ribbon Panel, which made recommendations for improving how Ottawa distributes grants and contributions to charities and other organizations.

She has served on the Boards of several not-for-profit and charitable organizations including Equal Voice, The Canadian Club, The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE), Altruvest Charitable Services, the Board of Governors of Seneca College, and co-chaired the Toronto City Summit in June 2002 and 2003. Currently, she is a member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance Steering Committee and the University of Toronto's School of Public Policy Advisory Committee.

In 1990, Ms. Lankin was elected MPP for the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York and served as Minister of Government Services and Chair of the Management Board. She was Minister of Health from 1991 to 1993 and was appointed Minister of Economic Development and Trade, a position she held until 1995. Ms. Lankin served as MPP for 11 years until she joined the United Way in 2001.

In 2003, Ms. Lankin was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal. In 2004, she was presented with United Way of Canada’s Award of Excellence for her community building work in Toronto. In 2007, she was named the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) CEO of the Year for Excellence in Public Relations and received the Toronto Star Laurel Award for Losing Ground, United Way’s report on family poverty in Toronto. In 2008, she was named one of More Magazine’s Top 40 over 40 in the Fighting-for-equality category. Most recently, she received the Equal Voice EVE Award for her achievements in political life and her efforts to advance the cause of electing more women in Canada and the Consumers’ Choice Woman of the Year award.