Senator

Housakos was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December 22, 2008, as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada promising to uphold the limit of 8 years for Senate appointees.

Official bilingualism

Breaking ranks with his party in September 2011, Housakos was the first Conservative Party parliamentarian to openly and publicly oppose the nomination of unilingual Michael Ferguson as Auditor General of Canada, stating, "there are certain positions in the federal government that are so symbolic to what Canada is all about and I just believe they have to be filled by people who are functionally bilingual."^[18] Arguing that the appointment sets a dangerous precedent that threatens bilingualism in Canada, he said, "I think that bilingualism is so fundamental to this country, not just from the point of view of national unity, but I think it’s a tool that should be used as a positive attribute, both in terms of our diplomatic strategies and our commercial strategies around the world."^[19]

Multiculturalism

In October 2012, Housakos published The Challenges of Integration and Multiculturalism, where he voices concerns regarding the difficulties recent immigrants have had in being both accepted and integrated within North American society and, more specifically, the challenges the Muslim communities after 9/11.^[20][21] He argues that the Canadian government should provide prospective new immigrants a clear understanding of the norms and values of their adoptive new home, because Canada is a country based on the separation of Church and state and the equality of men and women.

Housakos published Multiculturalism's an Outdated Insult, in March 2013, where he argues that official Multiculturalism became a state-financed marketing program where the government uses tax dollars to buy photo ops with ethnic leaders.^[22] He suggested that multiculturalism should be replaced with a policy of integration.^[23]

Charter of Quebec Values

Housakos later spoke out against the Parti Québécois government's Charter of Quebec Values, on the basis that it negates respect for individual rights.

"Other than just a political ploy on the part of the Parti Québécois to chase down nationalist votes that have maybe left to go to other more radical nationalist parties in the last couple of elections, there's no other benefit (from introducing a new charter)," said Housakos. "So the only people that see a need for this is the Parti Québécois. And the need is for political expediency."^[24]

Foreign policies

In December 2019, Housakos and Senator Thanh Hai Ngo tabled a motion to sanction Chinese officials on actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, citing their concern for "violation of human rights Hong Kong" and for the "treatment of minority Muslims in China".^[25]

A Digital Plan for Canada

Commenting on the release of the report, Housakos said, "We need a multi-targeted policy approach to prepare the way for a digital society. We need a principle of true universality to avoid the creation of 'information haves' and 'information have-nots'."^[26] NDP industry critic Brian Masse welcomed the report, insisting a national digital policy was overdue for Canadians and contained many ideas his party wants to explore further.^[27]

Community involvement

Housakos does charity work for the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), where they help raise funds for children's causes in the Montreal area.^{[citation needed]} He helped to organize a charity ball for Giant Steps, an association dedicated to helping autistic children.^[29][30] He has also been coaching a youth hockey team for over 10 years. In 2009, his team became the champions of the 33rd Brossard Provincial Atom hockey tournament.^[31]