Non-Affiliated Sen. Kristopher Wells (Alberta) said he has known Premier Danielle Smith for more than one decade. Because Wells and Smith have a relationship, he said she “knows my door is always open to meet with her any time she wants to talk about evidence-based policy, rule of law, and human rights.”“There’s nothing radical about following the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” tweeted Wells. .Wells was commenting on Smith saying at the Canada Strong and Free Network Regional Conference that Conservative Sen.-Elect Pam Davidson (Alberta) and Sen.-Elect Erika Barootes (Alberta) should be senators. “In any case, both of them should be representing us in Ottawa as opposed to a radical extreme LGBT activist as well as a radical extreme fundraiser for the Liberals for a long time,” she said..Wells followed up by saying Smith’s gender identity policies are “the opposite of protection and will cause great harm for some of the most vulnerable children in our society.” “Trans rights are human rights,” he said. “The only way Smith can pass her discriminatory policies is to invoke the notwithstanding clause and override basic human rights.”.Wells said in 2023 Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is wrong for wanting to use the notwithstanding clause for his pronouns policy. .MacEwan professor calls Moe a dictator for invoking notwithstanding clause.“We have a Charter to protect minority rights from government overreach and abuse,” he said. “Only a dictator would try and exempt a government from having to follow the law and respect the human rights of the most vulnerable.”.The Alberta government denounced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for appointing two Liberal donors as senators on August 31. .Smith slams Trudeau’s weekend appointment of two Liberal donors to the Senate.These appointments marked the 35th anniversary of Alberta holding Canada’s first Senate election. Smith said the Canadian government disregarded Alberta’s interests. Former Burnet, Duckworth, and Palmer LLP partner Daryl Fridhandler had been named to the Senate. Fridhandler is a longtime Liberal organizer with donations totaling $119,959 to federal and provincial campaigns.
