Douglas John Black KC (born May 10, 1952) is a lawyer and former Canadian senator and from Alberta, Canada. He was appointed to the Senate on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's advice on January 25, 2013, having won a Senate nominee election in 2012. He resigned from the Senate on October 31, 2021, in order to return to private life.[1]
Doug Black | |
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Black in 2013 | |
Canadian Senator from Alberta | |
In office January 25, 2013 – October 31, 2021 | |
Nominated by | Stephen Harper |
Appointed by | David Johnston |
Personal details | |
Born | Douglas John Black May 10, 1952 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Political party | Canadian Senators Group |
Other political affiliations |
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Alma mater | Dalhousie University (LLB) |
Early life and education
editBlack was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. In 1970, he graduated from Ernest Manning High School in Calgary.[2] He attended the University of Alberta, where he was actively involved in student government, and in 1975, graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws. He was called to the Newfoundland Bar in 1977 and the Alberta Bar in 1994.[3]
Career
editBlack is a senior counselor for Dentons Canada LLP. His legal expertise is in corporate, commercial and energy law. He is former chairman of the board of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation and was founder of the Lake Crest Independent School in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is Governor-Emeritus of the Banff Centre, where he was National Co-chair of the centre's successful $130 million campus revitalization campaign.[4]
Black has been a proponent for responsible energy development and an advocate for diversifying Canada's energy markets. He was founding president of the Energy Policy Institute of Canada, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the development of a Canadian energy framework.[4]
In August 2012, Black was named as one of Canada's 25 most influential lawyers for 2012 by Canadian Lawyer Magazine.[4][5]
Senate election
editBlack ran as one of three Progressive Conservative senate nominees in the 2012 Alberta Senate nominee election. He finished first out of thirteen candidates in the province-wide vote, taking 428,791 votes.[6] He was appointed to the Senate on January 25, 2013,[7] and sat as a Conservative until July 2016, when he changed his designation to Independent.[8] He subsequently joined the Independent Senators Group[citation needed] and, on November 4, 2019, he joined the Canadian Senators Group.[9]
Black sat on the Senate Committees on Transport and Communications; and serves as chair on the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce.[4]
Awards
editHe was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002 and was awarded the Alberta Centennial Medal in December 2005 for community leadership. Black has also received the designation of ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors.[4]
University of Calgary
editPrior to being appointed to the Senate of Canada, Black served as chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Calgary. In August 2012, he repaid $5,343.86 not covered by the University of Calgary expense policy. Black's total expenses were $28,030.88 over 18 months.[10] Black stepped down from the Board and his roles in several other organizations prior to taking up his duties in the Senate.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Alberta Senator Doug Black to retire in October". CBC News. August 11, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Douglas Black biography Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine Canada School of Energy
- ^ Douglas J. Black Q.C., LL.B., Vice Chair Fraser Milner Casgrain Law
- ^ a b c d e "Senators - Detailed Information". parl.gc.ca. 2013. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Gail J. Cohen (August 6, 2012). "The Top 25 Most Influential". Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ "Senate Nominee - Official Poll Results". results.elections.ab.ca. 2012. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ "PM announces the appointment of five new senators - Prime Minister of Canada". pm.gc.ca. 2013. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ "News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver's News. Vancouver's Talk".
- ^ "Senators List". Senate of Canada. September 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ Scott Hennig (September 4, 2012). "SENATOR-IN-WAITING BILLS $28K OF EXPENSES TO UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY".
- ^ Press, J. (July 19, 2013). "Sen. Doug Black is only member of upper chamber to post spending details online". Postmedia News. Retrieved September 23, 2013.