Canada’s Governor General has appointed a pair of Albertans to the Senate as independents, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday.
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.
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.
Wells is currently the editor-in-chief of the Journal of LGBT Youth.
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.
“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.
This follows the recent appointment of broadcaster Charles Adler alongside Saskatchewan hospital executive Tracy Muggli, who joined the senate in mid-August as an independent.
Related Stories:
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.