FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ottawa, March 14, 2017 – Senator Betty Unger from Alberta today announced her support for Andrew Scheer as Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. From Alberta and appointed to the Senate in 2012, Senator Unger was the first woman elected as a senate nominee. “Today, I proudly announce my support for […]
SUMMARY: The ongoing debate about gender identity rights has given voice to numerous concerns and anxieties. While no one wants to deny legitimate human rights to trans persons, there are very real questions about the implications of separating sex from gender and enshrining this in law. The two primary concerns center around safety and privacy in […]
Prime Minister Trudeau’s pot legalization plan bad for the country’s young people Edmonton Sun | January 11, 2017 Sen. Betty Unger, Alberta Senator Last summer the Trudeau government established a task force to study marijuana legalization and regulation. Their mandate was to consult with Canadians about developing a framework for legal access to marijuana (cannabis). […]
Published: 2017-01-03 Moncton Times & Transcript It was refreshing to read your December 17 editorial, “Reform needed in Red Chamber”. Rarely does one hear about the need for a Triple-E Senate reform these days. Attention has shifted to the elusive topic of Senate “modernization” while awareness of the need for true Senate reform has all but been lost. As a Senator […]
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NEW YORK, NY December 7, 2016 | Press Release Children exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke show measurable amounts of the drug in their bodies, a researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has found. The study was published in the journal Pediatric Research. The study […]
News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2016 OTTAWA – Senator Betty Unger today commented on the release of the final report of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, expressing her deep concern over the government’s intention to legalize marijuana. “It is extremely unfortunate that the government did not allow the Task Force to […]
Alberta Senator Doug Black’s recent announcement that he has left the Conservative caucus to sit as a non-affiliated Senator is both disappointing and misleading. It implies that Senators who remain members of a political caucus are less effective Senators. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being a member of the Conservative caucus provides me […]
Honourable Senators, I stand here today as but one voice in this Chamber. My voice is not as loud or as strong as others in this House. Yet behind me stand many, by the thousands, who wish their voices could be heard. I am honoured to be speaking on their behalf. And today, I hope […]
Honourable senators, I rise today to move an amendment to Bill C 14 regarding the role of nurse practitioners. Doctors and nurses have worked in a collaborative relationship for generations, but by virtue of their advanced education, doctors have been in charge. My amendment is straightforward; it seeks to affirm the continuation of this symbiotic […]
Hon. Betty Unger: Honourable senators, I would like to speak in support of Senator Eaton’s amendment. When I was appointed to the Senate, I hoped that I might make a difference in some way — perhaps Senate reform, which Albertans have wanted for decades. I never, however, imagined this nightmarish scenario. I am dismayed that Parliament’s […]
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to a bill which I never anticipated would be presented to this chamber. Bill C 14 facing us now is deceptively called medical assistance in dying, yet it has nothing to do with medical assistance. Nothing could be further from the truth. Medical assistance is what palliative care […]
Senator’s Statement on the Forest Fire in Fort McMurray May 4, 2016 Over the past 24 hours, we have all been gripped by the news coming out of Fort McMurray, in northern Alberta. The entire city of 80,000 people has been evacuated in the face of fire raging through a tinder dry forest. It’s the […]
Senator’s Statement in the Senate on National Hospice Palliative Care Week May 3, 2016 “Studies and reports are good. Debates and discussions are valuable. But what Canada needs today is not another government committee on palliative care, but a government committed to palliative care.” – Senator Betty Unger Honourable senators, this week is National Hospice Palliative […]
April 18, 2016 It’s beginning to look like a pattern: Dodge the difficult questions and defer them to the future. The Trudeau government has done it again with its euthanasia legislation. Deceptively named, “Medical assistance in dying” the legislation initially pulls back from the radical suggestions made by the Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Suicide, […]
With the Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) June 6 deadline looming, Parliament will soon begin debating its legislative response to the SCC’s decision on physician-assisted dying. And although personal views on this issue vary widely, all parliamentarians will be responsible to ensure that the new legislation complies with the Charter of Rights by conforming to […]
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Safeguards for physician-assisted dying must include access to palliative care and protection of conscience rights: Alberta Senator Betty Unger OTTAWA – February 25, 2016 – Alberta Senator Betty Unger today expressed concern that the Report of the Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying did not include appropriate safeguards. Most notably, the […]
“It is a profound injustice to offer physician-assisted dying (PAD) to those suffering with mental illness. I urge you to ensure that PAD is not made available to anyone struggling under this dark cloud.” March 2, 2016 Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, As the country awaits your proposed legislation on physician-assisted dying (PAD), I am reminded […]
“Palliative care should be the priority, not physician-assisted dying. There is something terribly wrong when a government does more to guarantee that the living can die, than to ensure that the dying can live.” Last year, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Criminal Code sections prohibiting physician-assisted suicide violate our Charter rights. After […]
Over ten years ago the Law Commission of Canada released a 209-page report recommending changes to our electoral system. While the Liberal government took no action at the time, numerous provinces launched their own reviews to examine the merits of electoral reform. Without exception, the proposals put forward by each province failed to be implemented. […]
Thank you very much for the warm welcome. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am proud to be here tonight to extend greetings to both the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and to everyone here in attendance for tonight’s 12th annual RISE Awards. The exemplary mandate of your organization is to improve the […]