Wanda Thomas Bernard | |
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Canadian Senator from East Preston, Nova Scotia | |
Assumed office November 10, 2016 | |
Nominated by | Justin Trudeau |
Appointed by | David Johnston |
Personal details | |
Born | Halifax,Nova Scotia [1] | August 1,1953
Political party | Progressive Senate Group |
Occupation | Academic |
Profession | Social worker and educator |
Wanda Thomas Bernard CM ONS (born August 1,1953) is a Canadian senator.
She was formerly a social worker and educator from East Preston,Nova Scotia. Bernard is the first Black Canadian to have an academic tenure position and become a full professor at Dalhousie University, [2] where her research focuses on anti-oppression and diversity. [3] Bernard was one of the founding members of the Association of Black Social Workers. [2]
On October 27,2016,Bernard was named to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sit as an independent. [2] At the time of her appointment,she was the chair of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. [2] She is the first African Nova Scotian woman to serve in the Senate Chamber. [3]
Bernard supports official recognition of Emancipation Day in Canada,and proposed a 2018 private member's bill to that effect. [4]
Bernard joined the Progressive Senate Group on July 8,2020. [5]
In 2005,she was appointed to the Order of Canada for her work addressing racism and diversity in the field of social work, [6] and in 2014,she was awarded the Order of Nova Scotia. [7] In 2021,Bernard was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Carleton University. [8]