THE SENATE — New Senators
Congratulations on Appointments
September 17, 2024
Honourable senators, on behalf of the Government Representative Office, welcome back. It is with great pleasure that I warmly welcome our newest colleagues to the Senate of Canada: Senators Boudreau, Adler, Wells and Fridhandler.
Senator Boudreau, the decades that you spent serving your community and New Brunswick, at both the provincial and municipal levels, are very impressive, and it is quite appropriate that you will be continuing that service here in the Senate. I look forward to the contribution and perspective that you will bring to our many debates in this chamber.
Senator Adler, it gives me great pleasure to welcome a fellow Montrealer and McGill University alumnus to the Senate. Having worked across the country, you bring a wealth of experience, and your fierce defence of human rights will be a great asset to the Senate.
Senator Wells, I greatly admire your work to advance equality and diversity in Alberta and across this great country. As a champion of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, the Senate will benefit from your expertise and voice in this chamber now more than ever.
Senator Fridhandler, as another alumnus of McGill, I take great satisfaction in welcoming you to the Senate. Your work as a lawyer, arbitrator and especially as a mediator will serve you well in the Senate. Given your extensive experience on numerous boards, ranging from the Alberta Ballet Company to the Calgary Public Library, I have no doubt that you will bring an invaluable perspective to this chamber.
As new senators there will be a very steep learning curve, and the work ahead will not always be easy. However, every one of us in this chamber has been in your place before, and I believe I speak for all of us when I say this: Please, don’t hesitate to reach out for advice and support whenever you need it and from whomever you seek it.
I look forward to working with all of you in the weeks and months ahead. Once again, on behalf of the Government Representative Office, welcome, dear colleagues, to the Senate of Canada.
Honourable senators, on behalf of the opposition, I am pleased to rise in this chamber to welcome our new colleagues who were just sworn in a few minutes ago.
Senator Victor Boudreau of New Brunswick, Senator Charles Adler from my home province of Manitoba, Senator Daryl Fridhandler and Senator Kristopher Wells both from Alberta, welcome to the Senate of Canada. As you take your seat for the first time, it can be surreal as you adjust to your new surroundings. On the one hand, you feel proud to have such an incredible opportunity to serve your country. And yet, at the same time, you feel humbled to have been chosen.
I wish to reinforce a point here, colleagues. You were chosen by the Prime Minister who appointed you. As a matter of fact, 76 out of the 99 current senators in this chamber were appointed by Justin Trudeau. For nine long years, we have been hearing the purported narrative that the Trudeau Senate is apparently more independent than it was previously. I don’t know how an institution that is already independent becomes more independent because one person claims it to be.
Colleagues, as we welcome you to the Senate family, let’s be honest with ourselves: The Senate has always been an independent chamber because all senators are independent. The Senate has always been an independent chamber, as it draws its independence from section 18 of the Constitution, and not from the goodwill of the Prime Minister. Independence in the Senate wasn’t created the day Justin Trudeau kicked his Liberal senators out of caucus. The independence of senators comes from the fact that all senators are appointed until the age of 75.
There have been some pretty incredible claims made by Prime Minister Trudeau about his so-called reforms and improvements of the Senate, but those same claims have been contradicted by the following facts: the fact that the Trudeau Senate is more expensive today than ever; the fact that the Trudeau Senate does less work today and less valuable committee studies and reports; the fact that Trudeau’s senators support and vote in favour of the government 96% of the time; the fact that Trudeau’s Senate advisory board is more costly, combined with the fact that it has demonstrated negligence in ensuring a proper vetting process of individuals brought forward; the fact that, at the end of the day, Prime Minister Trudeau can appoint whomever he likes to appoint — the Calgary Herald recently said that Prime Minister Trudeau’s Senate appointments showcase individuals who have a “. . . history of involvement in the federal Liberal party,” while the National Post has referenced the fact that Trudeau has gone back on his promise by appointing a party bagman — and the fact that Prime Minister Trudeau chose to appoint two partisan individuals instead of recognizing the electoral mandate of senators-in-waiting. This not only demonstrates his decision to play political games — also known as partisanship — but his actions also demonstrate his disregard for the interest of Albertans who, in 2021, voted and elected three new senators-in-waiting.
The reality, colleagues, is that partisanship is a good thing, but let’s not be disingenuous about it. Let’s drop the Prime Minister’s narrative about the Senate. Conservatives are under no illusions and, frankly, Canadians are under no illusions that you have been appointed to move the Liberal agenda forward, just as I was appointed 15 years ago on September 15, 2009, to move the Conservative agenda forward.
Colleagues, this is not a “chamber of drunken second chances.” It is a chamber that can offer hope to Canadians when they need it the most. Therefore, it is my hope that we all exercise our responsibilities with integrity so that, collectively, our voices and perspectives ensure a better tomorrow for all Canadians. Thank you.
Madam Speaker, colleagues, my speech will be a real welcome speech.
I am pleased to see you all again today now that the Senate is back in session. On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I have the privilege of welcoming four new colleagues to this chamber.
With the time that has been given to me today, I can only gloss over the great accomplishments and achievements that have led you to this chamber. What struck me is the commitment you have shown to public service, whether in elected positions, academia, health care, community involvement or media. I’m glad you have all chosen to continue this commitment by joining the Senate of Canada.
Senator Boudreau, you epitomize dedication to public service, as we can see from your remarkable 30-plus years of service to the people of New Brunswick and to the Canadian and international Francophonie.
Your skill as a parliamentarian and your experience in provincial and municipal governance are major assets for the future of our deliberations and our work. I’m sure that for a seasoned parliamentarian like yourself, the transition to your new federal duties will be a smooth one, and that you will have the pleasure of discovering a certain subtlety, shall we say, in the rules and practices of the Senate, some of which date back to 1868.
Senator Adler, what can I say that has not yet been said about your nomination? We are not used to so much attention toward a Senate appointee, but I believe it is a testament to the success you had in your public career. You have described yourself as a storyteller, which made me reflect on what is a good story within the Senate of Canada. I do believe it is an unbiased, fact-based and documented inquiry — not necessarily sensationalist, but solid and well researched. I look forward to your contribution to those stories.
Senator Fridhandler, it is truly a pleasure to welcome such an outstanding lawyer and jurist as you to our chamber. The work of parliamentarians is varied and multi-faceted, but it is always precious to be able to count on the expertise of our lawyer colleagues. I’m glad we will now be able to count on yours. You have been, all your life, deeply involved in boards from your communities in Calgary and the whole province of Alberta, and I’m glad to see they have a new champion in the Senate.
Senator Kristopher Wells, it is great to have in the Senate another strong advocate for human rights and the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Your experience as a scholar and an educator will be precious in the context of our deliberations. You said the following in a recent interview:
. . . we get the communities we’re willing to build. That means we need to step up and be part of the solution, rather than just always pointing out the problems and the challenges.
This gives me the assurance that your work in the Senate will be efficient, engaged and collaborative. I look forward to working alongside you and witnessing your contribution to this chamber.
As of now, you can count on your colleagues from the Independent Senators Group to work alongside you in a collaborative and collegial manner. I wish you all a warm welcome to the Senate of Canada.
Honourable senators, on behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, I welcome Senators Victor Boudreau, Charles Adler, Daryl Fridhandler and Kristopher Wells to the Senate. One of the great strengths of the Senate is to attract greater diversity of professions than our colleagues in the other place. Today, we welcome four individuals with varied experiences and professional careers. Senator Boudreau was an administrator, marketing manager, provincial legislator and senior executive. Senator Adler was a journalist, commentator and radio host. Senator Fridhandler comes to this place as a lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and business person. And finally, Senator Wells was an educator and passionate human rights advocate.
This is quite a mix of different backgrounds. Of the 1,014 senators who have been named to the Senate so far in our country’s history, there has always been a great diversity of backgrounds. Common professions represented in this chamber are lawyers — surprise, surprise — farmers, teachers, physicians and business people.
Having quite a few physicians right now has proved to be most useful when dealing with health policy. But as recent events have shown us, they’re great to have around in a medical emergency. However, the list of past physicians has also included several coroners, which all senators hope to stay away from for as long as possible.
Considering this country’s origins, the Senate has had 32 lumber merchants among its members, but only two fur traders. Our history includes several millers as being senators — more than you would believe actually. I’m pleased to report that there have been a few insurance executives like myself who have served in this House, the first one appointed way back in 1892.
According to the Library of Parliament’s database, there have only been three realtors, including our Senator Ataullahjan. There have been two distillers and one brewer, but no winemakers — something we should see corrected soon. In these benches have sat musicians, artists, actors, scriptwriters, elite athletes — both amateur and professional — and coaches. Some senators have even been members of the clergy. Some senators have been tradespeople, and my colleague Senator Plett would probably be in agreement with me that we should have more. My point is there’s been a great mosaic of careers and vocations, which is a great strength, and something that many in the public don’t appreciate.
My message to our new colleagues is that I hope you will bring your knowledge, experience, expertise and perspective in your interventions in this chamber and to your questions in committee. Never hold back. Some have described political debate today as at times toxic, but we should take some inspiration from the Honourable James Arthurs, the Honourable Gustave Benjamin Boyer and the Honourable Robert William Gladstone who listed their profession simply as gentlemen. In this place, we should all strive to be gentlemen and women. Senators Boudreau, Adler, Fridhandler and Wells, welcome to the Senate.
Honourable senators, one aspect of my duties as leader of the Progressive Senate Group that I enjoy the most is welcoming new members to this Chamber. Today is a good day, a day when four new colleagues with vastly different life experiences have come to join us, each of them eager to contribute to our work.
As the fifth person to rise today, I hope I won’t repeat too much of what’s already been said. If I do, please forgive me.
The Honourable Victor Boudreau is a proud Acadian who has spent no less than 30 years serving the people of New Brunswick. His time as an MP’s assistant, provincial MLA, minister and now, an active member of many community organizations and associations, makes him an authority on Acadian and New Brunswick realities as well as the needs of citizens living in this beautiful region of the country. I have no doubt that he will happily share his knowledge with us.
You don’t have to fear the bumps along the road as you said when you left the cabinet in 2017.
The Honourable Charles Adler from Winnipeg was born in Hungary, the son of a Holocaust survivor. His family immigrated to Montreal where he started his broadcasting career, which found him living in various cities across the country. Over time, he became an influential commentator on many issues. We’re all interested to see how he’ll approach his new role. I wonder if in his case we should expect some bumps on the road. But to be more serious, if in the past you have been rather critical of this place, now you will have a chance to contribute to its ongoing improvement for the benefit of all Canadians.
The Honourable Daryl Fridhandler is a Canadian with roots across the whole country. Born in Montreal, he grew up in Nova Scotia. He attended three Canadian universities — McGill, Université de Moncton and Dalhousie Law School. In 1983, he moved to Calgary to practise law, and the law firm he joined at the time is still the law firm he’s practising with today. Aside from a busy law practice, he’s been a founder, director and investor in numerous start-up enterprises. On top of that, he’s managed to find time to be active in business, cultural and political organizations provincially and federally. With such a background, it is fair to say that there will be plenty of Senate committees where he will feel rapidly at ease.
Finally, the Honourable Kristopher Wells is another Albertan but from the other city, Edmonton, home of the Oilers, who were the pride of all Canadians last June. Dr. Wells is a renowned scholar and researcher in Canada and around the world on sexual and gender diversity. His advocacy for diversity, equality and human rights in his own province and across Canada will provide him a very relevant background for his work on these issues here in the Senate. Speaking of hockey, I commend him for his participation in the Pride Tape initiative which has been adopted by all the National Hockey League’s teams.
In conclusion, new colleagues, welcome to the Senate, and rest assured that the independent senators in the Progressive Senate Group look forward to working with you. Thank you, and welcome.
