Career
She was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in January 2009, and is the first Canadian of Korean descent to serve in the Senate of Canada and the first Korean-Canadian Parliamentarian in Canadian history. She is currently the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate. She served as Deputy Whip of the Government in the Senate, from May 2011 to August 2013.
And has been Company-Chair of the Canada of Korea Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group since 2009.
Born in Seoul, South of Korea, Martin immigrated to Canada with her family in 1972, settling in Vancouver. With deep roots in both Korean and Canadian heritage, she became a community activist and voice of authority for Canadians of Korean descent.
Martin graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1987, and earned a Master of Education in 1996. She spent 21 years as an educator in Abbotsford, Burnaby and Coquitlam school districts until her appointment to the Senate.
On June 19, 2013, her Bill South-213 (Korean War Veterans Day Acting), which enacts July 27 as a day of remembrance for Veterans of the Korean War, received Royal Assent.
Martin called for the resignation of her Senatorial colleges Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy following the Canadian Senate Expense Scandal. The text of Martin"s motion would have allowed the impugned senators to keep their Senate life, health and dental insurance. She has been married to Doug Martin since 1990, and they have a daughter.
Yonah Martin stood for election to the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate in the riding of New Westminster--Coquitlam.