Two Albertans appointed to the Senate
A corporate lawyer and a professor who has been an outspoken critic of Alberta's school pronouns bill are now both senators representing the province.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday that Governor General Mary Simon has appointed Daryl Fridhandler and Kristopher Wells to fill Senate vacancies.
The statement from Trudeau's office said Fridhandler is "a corporate lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and businessman with more than 40 years of legal experience."
The statement said Wells, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, is "an educator, scientific expert and advocate for the 2ndLGBTQIcommunity."
The statement from the Prime Minister's Office said the two new senators were recommended by an independent Senate Appointments Advisory Board that was created in 2016, which it said guarantees the independence of senators.
Wells was highly critical of the Alberta government's plan for a policy requiring parents to give consent before children under the age of 16 can change their name or pronouns in schools.
"I congratulate Mr. Fridhandler and Mr. Wells on their appointment as the new independent senators in Parliament. With their experience, they will be important spokespersons for their communities," Trudeau said in Saturday's announcement.
The Governor General appoints senators, but by convention, they are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reacted to the appointments on social media, accusing Trudeau of ignoring the interests of Albertans.
"Despite our province's repeated democratic election for senators in waiting, ready to represent the interests of Albertans, he has chosen to appoint left-wing supporters who will do whatever he and the Liberals order them to do," Smith wrote on X.
Wells wrote on social media that Smith's "obsession" with the transgender community is "beyond bizarre."
"This trans panic she's manufacturing is hateful, hurtful, and needs to stop," Wells wrote earlier this month on X.
Smith said her government will introduce a bill on pronouns in schools in the fall legislative session that begins in late October.
The move is part of a series of policies she first announced in January, which also includes restricting transgender youth's access to medical treatments for gender reassignment, banning transgender participation in women's sports.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
Saturday's statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Wells has, "through research and advocacy, contributed to the advancement of diversity, equity and human rights in Alberta and across the country."
He has also received honours, including the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Alberta Award for the Study of Human Rights and Multiculturalism in Canada.
Fridhandler, meanwhile, has served as legal counsel for various companies and not-for-profit organizations and has served on the boards of numerous organizations, according to the statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
His past ties to the Liberal Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta are not mentioned in Fridhandler's biography. According to the curriculum vitae published on the website of the law firm of which he is a partner, he co-directed the Alberta campaigns of Paul Martin in 2003 and Michael Ignatieff in 2006 and 2008 during the Liberal leadership races.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday that Governor General Mary Simon has appointed Daryl Fridhandler and Kristopher Wells to fill Senate vacancies.
The statement from Trudeau's office said Fridhandler is "a corporate lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and businessman with more than 40 years of legal experience."
The statement said Wells, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, is "an educator, scientific expert and advocate for the 2ndLGBTQIcommunity."
The statement from the Prime Minister's Office said the two new senators were recommended by an independent Senate Appointments Advisory Board that was created in 2016, which it said guarantees the independence of senators.
Wells was highly critical of the Alberta government's plan for a policy requiring parents to give consent before children under the age of 16 can change their name or pronouns in schools.
"I congratulate Mr. Fridhandler and Mr. Wells on their appointment as the new independent senators in Parliament. With their experience, they will be important spokespersons for their communities," Trudeau said in Saturday's announcement.
The Governor General appoints senators, but by convention, they are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reacted to the appointments on social media, accusing Trudeau of ignoring the interests of Albertans.
"Despite our province's repeated democratic election for senators in waiting, ready to represent the interests of Albertans, he has chosen to appoint left-wing supporters who will do whatever he and the Liberals order them to do," Smith wrote on X.
Wells wrote on social media that Smith's "obsession" with the transgender community is "beyond bizarre."
"This trans panic she's manufacturing is hateful, hurtful, and needs to stop," Wells wrote earlier this month on X.
Smith said her government will introduce a bill on pronouns in schools in the fall legislative session that begins in late October.
The move is part of a series of policies she first announced in January, which also includes restricting transgender youth's access to medical treatments for gender reassignment, banning transgender participation in women's sports.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
Saturday's statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Wells has, "through research and advocacy, contributed to the advancement of diversity, equity and human rights in Alberta and across the country."
He has also received honours, including the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Alberta Award for the Study of Human Rights and Multiculturalism in Canada.
Fridhandler, meanwhile, has served as legal counsel for various companies and not-for-profit organizations and has served on the boards of numerous organizations, according to the statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
His past ties to the Liberal Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta are not mentioned in Fridhandler's biography. According to the curriculum vitae published on the website of the law firm of which he is a partner, he co-directed the Alberta campaigns of Paul Martin in 2003 and Michael Ignatieff in 2006 and 2008 during the Liberal leadership races.
