Oliver was appointed to the Senate at the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, September 7, 1990. He served as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, and as the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committees on Transport and Communications and Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Senator Oliver was also Co-chair of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians. He has worked on a number of Private Members’ Bills, including a bill to amend sections of the criminal code dealing with stalking and, more recently, a bill to address the issue of spam. Oliver was named Speaker pro tempore of the Senate of Canada, March 4, 2010. Oliver retired from the Senate November 16, 2013, when he attained age 75. During and since that time, he continued to be active in community service: "serving in positions that have included President and Chairman of the Halifax Children's Aid Society; Chairman, President and Director of the Neptune Theatre Foundation; Director of the Halifax-Dartmouth Welfare Council; Founding Director of the Black United Front; and Founding President and First Chairman of the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia." Honours On December 28, 2019, Governor General Julie Payette announced that Oliver had been appointed as a member of the Order of Canada. Oliver was appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia in 2020. Personal life Oliver is married and has one daughter. When not in Ottawa, Oliver resides on his farm in Queens County, Nova Scotia. Senator Donald Oliver is an honorary patron with Crossroads International. In 1962, he was a Crossroads volunteer to Ethiopia. Senator Oliver has said this experience changed him forever. References External links Senator Donald Oliver's website Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Conservative Party of Canada senators 1938 births Living people Black Nova Scotians Canadian legal scholars Canadian senators from Nova Scotia People from Kings County, Nova Scotia People from Queens County, Nova Scotia Schulich School of Law alumni Canadian people of African-American descent Canadian people of American descent Black Canadian politicians Canadian King's Counsel 21st-century Canadian politicians Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Nova Scotia