Trudeau Senate appointee wants to meet with Indigenous leaders over crude remarks
'I am accountable for what I say and do,' said Charles Adler. 'I've reached out to the Grand Chief and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, to request a face-to-face meeting. I look forward to hearing from them.'
Broadcaster Charles Adler wants to meet with Indigenous leaders from Manitoba to clarify derogatory comments he made 25 years ago. However, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) still wants his appointment rescinded.
Adler, in a series of 1999 radio commentaries, described Indigenous people as "boneheads" living in lawless "ghettos" and dependent on welfare. "The fundamental issue is people exercising no responsibility," he said.
"That’s the issue. It’s called moral discipline. It’s called civilization. If you want to behave in an uncivilized manner you don’t get any r-e-s-p-e-c-t."
A fellow Manitoban, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, told APTN News that Adler’s appointment was a setback in reconciliation. "We have to come to a better way in this country," she said.
Chief Nepinak invited Adler to meet with and learn from First Nations elders and people, reported the Winnipeg Free Press.
Charles Adler throws conservative past by the wayside after Liberal Senate appointment
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 20, 2024
'What was it that caused Charles Adler to become more and more disconnected from his entire life's work?' asked @EzraLevant.
Ezra Levant discussed former conservative broadcaster Charles… pic.twitter.com/KcZaPbeAcc
"I am accountable for what I say and do," Adler said in a statement. "I’ve reached out to the Grand Chief and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, to request a face-to-face meeting. I look forward to hearing from them."
The AMC unsuccessfully filed complaints at the CRTC and Canada Broadcast Standards Council at the time, who concluded Adler’s remarks were "hardly to be taken literally."
AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick disputed the characterization of his commentary. "They’re pretty derogatory comments," she said.
"Getting criticized is nothing new. Happened every minute of every day for more than 30 yrs of Talk Radio," Adler wrote on X. "Looks like it’ll be much the same for [the] next 5 [years] as Senator. Politics is a contact sport."
"People forget that we are the first people of this country," said Grand Chief Merrick. "For comments like that to be made from someone that is going to be appointed into the Senate is not acceptable."
Newly appointed Senator Charles Adler, which the Conservatives have labelled as one of Trudeau’s most fervent supporters, says he’s going to get under the skin of all politicians, not just the Tories. pic.twitter.com/NA2Hc0OnW4
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) August 20, 2024
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, a Métis MP and Manitoba representative in cabinet, also opposed the appointment. "There are many eminently qualified Manitobans better suited to represent our province than Charles Adler," said Vandal.
Adler turns 70 on Sunday. Senators serve until they reach a mandatory retirement age of 75 or choose to step down.
The former broadcaster told CBC News he agrees with Minister Vandal. "Theoretically, without seeing all these names he must be thinking of, if he says that there are people in Manitoba more qualified than yours truly to be in the Senate, he's probably right," Adler said.
Chief Nepinak concurred, telling reporters she wants more Indigenous people in the Senate.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not clarify if a thorough background check was performed on Adler.
Former broadcaster Charles Adler mistakenly claimed he was announced to the Senator on Saturday.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) August 22, 2024
Adler cannot sit in the Upper House until he has met the necessary legal requirements, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
READ by @WestCdnFirst: https://t.co/dHYvbh9tzw
The governor general appoints senators on the advice of the prime minister. Adler is one of 84 "independent" appointments made on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the PMO said.
He was recommended to Trudeau by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, which reviewed submissions. It is not known who nominated Adler for the vacancy.
Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesman for the Privy Council Office (PCO), which oversees the appointments process, told the Free Press they prepared a non-binding shortlist for the prime minister to consider for each vacancy.
"All personal information provided to, and deliberations of, the advisory board, including nominations, are confidential and treated in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act," Bujold wrote in an emailed statement.
Appointees are nominated or applied on their behalf. They must meet constitutional eligibility requirements and merit-based criteria established by the government.
No appointee can take a Senate seat without signing the roll and taking an oath of allegiance to the King. Both requirements must be completed in person, but the Senate isn't scheduled to return from summer recess until September 17.
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