The appointment of Dr Kristopher Wells to represent Alberta in the Senate is of course, a calculated insult to Alberta. It is recognized as such here and dismissed as about what one expects from a prime minister who seldom loses an opportunity to express his deep disdain for the values Albertans affirm when they choose their own representatives — for House or Senate.Premier Smith’s statement on the matter is exactly right: “Albertans’ interests have once again been blatantly disregarded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 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 do.”Quite. What drives Wells is of marginal interest only in Alberta, but it is the kind of thing that would appeal to this prime minister.To the degree that Wells has achieved public notice at all, it is as an activist for the LBGTQ2+ lobby. In the eyes of some — emperors such as Mr. Trudeau perhaps, whose taste in new clothes continues to amaze us in Alberta — this may be a noble enterprise.And indeed, to some degree so it may be to Ms. Smith herself, who has always quite properly stressed her commitment to equal rights for all Albertans.Yet, if his online execrations against those who do not fully share his enthusiasms — notably Christians — are representative of his character and intellect, he’s a poor choice even by Prime Minister Trudeau’s standards. One pictures within the Prime Minister’s Office the atmosphere of giggling enthusiasm exhibited among small boys for a poor-taste practical joke at the expense of the lady with the nice garden down the street.“So Danielle Smith thinks trans kids should wait until they’re 18 before they have surgery? Hey, why don’t we make Kris Wells a senator? That’ll show her.”As an example of what Wells considers comment worth sharing, the retweet below is illustrative, but unfortunately not exhaustive. .Indeed when one compares the resumes of Wells and Alberta’s first elected senator, the late Stan Waters, it is hard to know whether Mr. Trudeau is more anxious to insult Alberta or the Senate itself.Waters, elected by Albertans in 1989 and appointed by Brian Mulroney in 1990, was a decorated war hero, who later rose to the rank of lieutenant general. His Wikipedia entry states inter alia, “Waters commissioned into the 14th Army Tank Battalion (The Calgary Regiment (Tank)) in 1941.[2] He was then posted to the First Special Service Force.[2] In 1943, using scaling ropes, Waters led his unit up the sheer cliffs of Monte la Difensa to attack German defences.[2] In February 1944 he landed at Anzio and, due to Allied losses, temporarily took command of a battalion.[2]After the war, he rose steadily through the ranks, and ended his career as a lieutenant-general and Commander of Mobile Command (1973–75).” Following his military career, he went into business and held a variety of executive positions until his retirement from business in 1989.And Wells? Edmonton’s MacEwan University site, one offering the friendliest possible resume one would suppose, has this to say. “Dr. Wells’ scholarly work specializes in sexual and gender minority youth, health, education, sport, and culture. He is one of the driving forces behind the creation of many ground-breaking initiatives including PrideTape, Camp fYrefly, Edmonton Queer History Project and NoHomophobes.com. Dr. Wells is a frequently invited national and international speaker on sexual and gender minority youth issues. He has served as an expert scientific consultant to the Government of Canada, Canadian Senate, Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Canadian Teachers’ Federation, RCMP, Public Health Agency of Canada, UNESCO, World Health Organization and many provincial and municipal governments across Canada.”Seriously? That and posting snickerings to one’s X account fits one to represent Alberta in the Senate?Nobody is suggesting that the Senate must be composed only of war heroes, although heaven knows it could stand a few more like Waters, who represented the gold standard.But here in Alberta, we the people have chosen some remarkably capable public servants to follow him to the Senate. The estimable Betty Unger, Doug Black and Scott Tannas were all appointed by then-prime minister Stephen Harper, as was Bert Brown, who had few equals in pursuit of a truly useful Senate that was Effective, Equal and Elected.And today, we had on offer Pam Davidson, Erika Barootes and Mykhailo Martyniouk. Mr. Trudeau could have chosen any one, or two... conservatives yes, but two were women — 'because it is 2024' — but no: In his eyes, a left wing, woke activist can best represent Canada's energy powerhouse. Well, no. Barootes echoes Smith: "“Sadly unsurprising that the Prime Minister didn’t respect the will of Albertans and instead appointed puppets to further drive his liberal agenda. This however, won’t deter me from standing up for Alberta and suspect Albertans discontent will be reflected in the next federal election.”
