Senator Serge Joyal represents the Senatorial Division of Kennebec in Quebec since his nomination to the Senate in1997. His areas of interest and specialisation include legal and constitutional affairs, and culture.

A lawyer by trade, he has also served as Art counsel with private sector collectors, and institutions. He has been President of the Quebec Museum Association, Director of the Canadian Museum Association, and Founder of the Joliette Art Museum. He is Trustee Emeritus of the Canadian Centre for Architecture and sits on the Board of Directors of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

His public career began with his election to the House of Commons in 1974. He was thereafter appointed President of the Treasury Board (1980), Minister of State (1981), and Secretary of State for Canada (1982-1984). He was Founder of the Joint Standing Committee on Official Languages (1980) and Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on the Patriation of the Canadian Constitution (1980-81). Senator Joyal also served as Vice-President of the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec), and was Chair of the LPC(Q) Policy Commission from 1985 to 2009.

He has been the recipient of numerous honours, including: an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Moncton (1984), Officer in the Order of Canada (1997), Knight of the French Legion (1995) and later Officer (2008), and Officer in the National Order of Quebec (2004).

Educated at universities in Canada and abroad, Senator Joyal received a Bachelor of Arts and Law Degree from the University of Montreal (1964), a Master of Laws from Sheffield University in England (1970), and has been in residence at the London School of Economics and Political Science for a Master of Philosophy in Law. He holds a post-graduate degree in Comparative Law from the Faculté internationale de droit comparé in Strasbourg, France.