Smith accuses Trudeau of naming ‘left-wing partisan’ Albertans to Canadian Senate

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is questioning the Governor General’s appointment of a pair of Albertans to the Senate as independents.

The new appointees from Alberta are Dr. Kristopher Wells, who is largely outspoken about ensuring rights for the 2SLGBTQ+ community with research and advocacy, and Daryl Fridhandler, a corporate lawyer and businessman of over 40 years.

“I congratulate Mr. Fridhandler and Dr. Wells on their appointment as Parliament’s newest independent senators. Their experiences will make them important voices for their communities,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a news release.

Wells has served on organizations and boards that include the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief’s Community Advisory Council, and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee.

Currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of LGBT Youth, Wells has been a vocal critic of the Alberta government’s plan for a policy requiring parents to consent before children under 16 can change their names or pronouns in schools.

Fridhandler is a King’s Counsel who has served on the board of numerous organizations, including the Alberta Ballet Company, Calgary Economic Development, and EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts (now Arts Commons). He spent his legal career with the Calgary firm Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP, where he became a partner in 1990.

He is currently a director on the boards of ENMAX Corporation and of several private corporations.

Interest of Albertans ignored by PM: Smith

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded to the appointments on social media, accusing Trudeau of disregarding the interests of Albertans.

“Despite our province’s repeated democratic election of senators-in-waiting ready to represent Albertans’ interests, he has chosen to appoint left wing partisans who will do whatever he and the Liberals order them to,” Smith posted on X.

Wells has written on social media that Smith’s “obsession” with the transgender community is “beyond weird.”

“This trans panic she is manufacturing is hateful, hurtful and needs to stop,” Wells wrote earlier this month on X.

Smith has said her government will introduce legislation on pronouns in schools in the fall legislature session that begins in late October.

It’s part of a suite of policies she first announced in January, which also include restricting transgender youth access to gender-affirming health care, banning transgender participation in female sports and requiring parental consent or notification.

Saturday’s news follows the recent appointment of broadcaster Charles Adler alongside Saskatchewan hospital executive Tracy Muggli, who joined the senate in mid-August as an independent.

Adler’s appointment was met with backlash from First Nations chiefs in Manitoba, who asked Trudeau to rescind the nomination due to past comments toward Indigenous Peoples they deemed to be “grossly offensive” and that perpetuated stereotypes.

The additions of Wells and Fridhandler make it 86 independent appointments to the Senate. Governor General Mary Simon appoints people to the Senate under the Constitution, with the advice of the prime minister.

The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, created in 2016, is guided by “public, transparent, non-partisan, and merit-based criteria” to recommend candidates to the prime minister, who then advises Simon.

–With files from The Canadian Press