In 2007, the President of the French Republic bestowed him the title of Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur).

[citation needed] On 30 July 2020 he was appointed vice chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

[citation needed] Born in the Azores, Portugal, he was first elected to city council in 1994 after defeating veteran councillor Tony O'Donohue by 15 votes.

An ally of new Prime Minister Paul Martin, Silva was seen by the party as a preferable candidate to Caccia.

He has championed several human rights and environmental issues including being the first MP to back the Canadian Boreal Initiative, and an outspoken critic for the defence of undocumented workers.

Silva assumed the role of chair for the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) in 2013.