Noël Kinsella

The Honourable
Noël Kinsella
PC CD
Kinsella in 2007
Speaker of the Senate
In office
February 8, 2006 – November 26, 2014
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byMichaëlle Jean
Preceded byDaniel Hays
Succeeded byPierre Claude Nolin
Senator from New Brunswick
(Fredericton-York-Sunbury)
In office
September 12, 1990 – November 26, 2014
Nominated byBrian Mulroney
Appointed byRay Hnatyshyn
Personal details
Born
Noël Augustus Kinsella

(1939-11-28)November 28, 1939
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
DiedDecember 6, 2023(2023-12-06) (aged 84)
Political partyConservative
SpouseAnn Conley Kinsella
ProfessionProfessor, public servant

Noël Augustus Kinsella PC CD (November 28, 1939 – December 6, 2023) was a Canadian politician and was speaker of the Senate of Canada from 2006 to 2014.

Early life and education

Noël Augustus Kinsella was born in Saint John, New Brunswick on November 28, 1939. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from University College in Dublin, Ireland. He was also an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum in Rome, from which he earned a PhL and then a PhD in 1965 with a dissertation entitled Toward a theory of personality development : a study of the works of Erik H. Erikson. Furthermore, he received an STL and an STD degree from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He was a Professor for 41 years at St. Thomas University and was a member of the Board of Governors. He also served as chair of the Atlantic Human Rights Centre.

Career

Kinsella was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on September 12, 1990, as a Senator for New Brunswick. He sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus until 2004, when he joined most of the Tory caucus in becoming a Conservative Senator.

Kinsella was Opposition whip from 1994 to 1999 and deputy leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, he was leader of the Opposition in the Senate. On February 8, 2006, he was named Speaker of the Senate by the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Kinsella spoke French, and used it in parliament. He resigned as Speaker on November 26, 2014, in anticipation of his mandatory retirement from the Senate two days later.[1]

Kinsella was considered a Red Tory and supported Peter MacKay in his bid to become leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in 2003.

Death

Kinsella died on December 6, 2023, at the age of 84.[2]

Honours and awards

Kinsella was an honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy since December 2008.[3]

Kinsella was also a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[4][5]

On February 23, 2015, he was sworn in as a Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. This gave him the right to the honorific prefix "The Honourable" and the post-nominal letters "PC" for life.

Ribbon Description Notes
Order of St. John (K.stJ)
  • 2010
  • Knight of Justice
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
  • 1977
  • Canadian Version of this Medal
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
  • 1992
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
  • 2002
  • Canadian Version of this Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • Canadian Version of this Medal
Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)

Honorary degrees

Honorary degrees
Location Date School Degree Gave Commencement Address
 Republic of Ireland 30 August 2011 University College Dublin Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) [6][7] Yes
Coat of arms of Noël Kinsella
Crest
Issuant from a circlet of fleurs-de-lis, fiddleheads and shamrocks Vert, a dove close proper holding in its beak a flame Gules;
Escutcheon
Argent on a fess between in chief two suns in splendour Gules and in base a lion passant Sable, the Mace of the Senate of Canada Or;
Supporters
Two white-tailed deer proper each charged on the shoulder with a pomme bearing an open book Argent and standing on a bed of maple leaves Gules;
Motto
LUCERNA PEDIBUS MEIS VERBUM TUUM (Your Word Is A Lamp Unto My Feet)[8]

References

  1. ^ Press, Jordan (November 27, 2014) [November 26, 2014]. "Quebec Conservative readies to take over as Senate Speaker". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Cochrane, Alan (December 6, 2023). "Higgs pays tribute to former Senator Noel Kinsella". Telegraph-Journal. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Blakeley, Darlene (January 19, 2009). "Domestic Stories: A senator joins the ranks". Royal Canadian Navy. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  4. ^ Kinsella, Noël (October 22, 2011). "Canada and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Quail, Peter (November 2011). "President's message". Epistula. Canadian Association of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella". Senate of Canada. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded by NUI and Its Member Institutions". National University of Ireland. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "Noël Augustus Kinsella". Governor General of Canada. March 15, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
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Political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada
2004–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Speaker of the Senate of Canada
2006–2014 		Succeeded by