Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard PhD, C.M., O.N.S.
Photo credit: Dalhousie News
27 October 2016
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of nine new independent senators Thursday, further bolstering the number of non-affiliated members in the upper chamber.
These appointments fill existing vacancies in B.C., Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. There are still 12 empty seats — six each for Ontario and Quebec — and those are expected to be filled very soon.
The senators will be formally sworn-in at a later date. They only learned Wednesday evening that they had been picked to sit in the upper house.
After Thursday’s announcement, the number of non-affiliated (or Independent) senators will rise to 32. There are 21 Liberals and 40 Conservatives. After the next round of appointments, Independents will make up the largest number of senators.
Nova Scotia social worker and educator Wanda Thomas Bernard is the first African-Canadian to hold a tenure-track position — and to be promoted to full professor — at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
She is also a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers and the current chair of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
“I was absolutely shocked to get a call from the prime minister’s office,” Bernard told CBC Nova Scotia. “I know hundreds of people applied and so to have been selected amongst, I’m sure, (what) were a very qualified group of people — it’s very humbling. I also feel very grateful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our country.”
Biography
Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard is a highly regarded social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate of social change. She has worked in mental health at the provincial level, in rural community practice at the municipal level, and, since 1990, as a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she also served as director for a decade. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University and she is the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenure track position at Dalhousie University and to be promoted to full professor. Dr. Thomas Bernard has worked with provincial organizations to bring diversity to the political processes in Nova Scotia and teach community members about Canada’s legislative process and citizen engagement. She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW) which helps address the needs of marginalized citizens, especially those of African descent. As a member of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and as its current Chair, she has been instrumental in the development of advice to ministers regarding frameworks for gender violence prevention and health equity. At the national level, she has served as a member of the National Coalition of Advisory Councils on the Status of Women. She has served as an expert witness in human rights cases and has presented at many local, national and international forums. Dr. Thomas Bernard has received many honours for her work and community leadership, notably the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada.
Source: CBC & www.pm.gc.ca