Dawson is a retired Canadian Senator and former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.

He was first elected as an MP in 1977 at the age 27, and was appointed to the Upper Chamber by Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2005.

On August 2, 2005, Dawson was appointed to the Canadian Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin.

[2] With Day's mandatory retirement in January 2020, on December 12, 2019, Jane Cordy tweeted[4] that her colleagues in the PSG had selected her as the new leader, ostensibly effective that same date.

[4] Additionally, she subsequently announced[5] later that day Terry Mercer would be moving into the Whip/Caucus Chair role, that Dawson would be become the new Deputy Leader, and that the interim monikers were being removed at the same time.