Two new senate appointments for Alberta include critic of school pronoun policy

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Published Aug 31, 2024  •  2 minute read

MacEwan University associate professor Kristopher Wells poses for a photo at the university, in Edmonton Wednesday July 24, 2019. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia Network

A corporate lawyer and a professor who has been a vocal critic of Alberta’s planned legislation on pronouns in schools are both now senators representing the province.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday that Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon has named Daryl Fridhandler and Kristopher Wells to fill vacancies in the Senate.

The statement from Trudeau’s office notes Fridhandler is a corporate lawyer, arbitrator, mediator and businessman with over 40 years of legal experience.

It says Wells, who is a Canada Research Chair in the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, is an educator, a scientific expert, and a champion for the 2SLGBTQI+ community.

The statement from the prime minister’s office says the two new senators were recommended by an independent advisory board for Senate appointments that was established in 2016, which it says ensures senators are independent.

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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.

“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,” 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 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.

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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 statement from the PMO notes Wells “has used research and advocacy to help advance diversity, equity, and human rights in Alberta and across the country.”

It also said he has received accolades that include the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism.

Fridhandler, meanwhile, has served as a legal advisor for a range of companies and non-profits and has served on the boards of numerous organizations, the PMO statement said.

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