The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Sober Second Thinkers Speakers Series Presents

Representation Matters: Reflections on the Power of Sober Second Thought

The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S.

November 14, 2024
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Mulroney Hall 2030

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard

In the inaugural Sober Second Thinkers Speakers lecture, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard will reflect on her work in the Senate over the past eight years since her appointment. She will highlight key moments when representation was critical to her role in the Upper Chamber in providing sober second thought on legislation. Senator Bernard will also explore ways in which representation is taken up in her work in the Senate and in the community.

Sober Second Thinkers Speakers Series

As part of its mandate to initiate conversations around key policy concerns, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government has launched the Sober Second Thinkers Speakers Series. In this speakers series, the Mulroney Institute invites sitting and retired Senators to give their reflections on their time in the Senate and to talk about the importance of sober second thought in an era of increased partisanship and divisions.

Over the course of one-to-two days at the university, visiting Senators will present a public lecture and engage with students. The series aims to involve students enrolled in the PGOV Program as well as the StFX campus and community at large, sharing Senators’ knowledge and insights as participant-observers in one of the nation’s central government institutions.

Biography: The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S.,(Nova Scotia (East Preston))

In November 2016, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard became the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She proudly holds her position in the Red Chamber representing the province of Nova Scotia and her hometown of East Preston while championing issues impacting African Canadians nationally in her work. She is the liaison of the Progressive Senate Group.

Throughout her social work career, Senator Bernard has maintained a deep dedication to social justice and racial justice. Based on this work and perseverance she was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005 and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. After practising frontline social work in Nova Scotia and founding the Association of Black Social Workers in 1979, Senator Bernard became a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work in 1990 where she subsequently held the position of director for 10 years. During her time at Dalhousie, Senator Bernard developed a curriculum for the “Africentric Social Work” course. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University and is the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenure track position. In 2017, Senator Bernard was the first African Canadian to be appointed Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work (SSW) at Dalhousie University; the first woman within the SSW to achieve this appointment. In recognition of her work to advance diversity and inclusion through leadership, activism, research, and community efforts, Senator Bernard was awarded the Frank McKenna Award for Leadership in Public Policy in 2021. Senator Bernard has continued to enact social justice and fight for racial justice in the Senate. Senator Bernard is the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, and she is a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Senator Bernard is proud to be a member of the African Canadian Senate Group.

Credit for photos: Senate of Canada