Joseph A. Day

Joseph A. Day (born January 24, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician. He was a Canadian Senator from October 4, 2001 until January 24, 2020, and was the leader of the Senate Liberal Caucus from June 15, 2016, to November 14, 2019. He became the interim leader of the Progressive Senate Group on November 14, 2019, and served for slightly less than one month in the role. On the eve of his pending retirement from the Senate, Day tweeted his farewell remarks. He mentioned that it was an honour to serve his fellow New Brunswickers and all Canadians. Furthermore, he also gave a farewell speech. He retired from the Senate on January 24, 2020, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Education and early career Day studied at College Militaire Royal Saint-Jean in 1963. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1968 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1963 to 1968 and held the rank of Lieutenant-colonel. He is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada, and served on its Board of Governors from 2004 to 2007. Day subsequently earned a Bachelor of Law degree from Queen's University and a Masters of Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. Over the course of his legal career, Day has been recognized as a specialist in intellectual property matters by the Law Society of Upper Canada, and is a fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. Day entered politics in 1978, when a by-election was held in his native New Brunswick. Day returned from his practice of law in Ottawa, Ontario, to contest the by-election as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada, but was defeated in what had long been a Progressive Conservative stronghold.