Daniel Phillip Hays (April 24, 1939) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

born in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Alberta. He was

Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada () is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentary privilege, and presides over debat ...

from 2001 to 2006, when he became Leader of the Government ( Liberal) in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Hays was the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

in the

39th Canadian Parliament The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3, 2006 until September 7, 2008. The membership was set by the 2006 Canadian federal election, 2006 federal election on January 23, 2006, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and ...

(2006-2007), and chair of numerous Senate committees. He is the only child of Muriel and

Harry Hays Harry William Hays (25 December 1909 – 4 May 1982) was a Canadian politician, 27th Mayor of Calgary, Cabinet minister in the government of Lester B. Pearson, and Senator from Alberta. Personal life Born in Carstairs, Alberta, to a ...

, who served as Minister of Agriculture in the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

. Dan Hays married Kathy in 2001. He has three daughters from his previous marriage. Hays attended

Western Canada High School Western Canada High School is a public high school in Calgary, Alberta that has operated since 1929. The high school was antedated by Western Canada College, a boys' preparatory school in the style of a British public school that opened in 1903. ...

, and Strathcona-Tweedsmuir in

, as well as,

Appleby College Appleby College is an international independent school (grades 7–12) located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Canada College. Guest dreamed of establishing a sma ...

in Oakville. He obtained his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree in history from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

and his

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. Following his articles, in 1966, with the Calgary-based firm Macleod Dixon, he was called to the Alberta Bar, and became known as a prominent

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. Hays was active in various practice areas, most notably corporate, commercial, and international operations. As well, he had a meaningful role in the firm's strategic planning and government relations. He served as Chairman of Macleod Dixon, LLP after his retirement from the Senate. He has been a member of Macleod Dixon, and successor firm

Norton Rose Fulbright Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) is a British-American business law firm. It is the thirteenth-largest by headcount and 21st by revenue, with revenues of more than $2 billion. The British law firm Norton Rose originated in 1794 when it was establ ...

, for over 50 years. Hays was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

by Prime Minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

on April 29, 1984, representing

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. He chose

as his self-designated senate division. Hays served as Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry from 1986 to 1988 and again from 1994 to 1995. He was also the chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources from 1989 to 1993. He chaired the Committee on Senate Reform, 2006 to 2007. On October 12, 1999, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government by Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

. Chrétien appointed him as Speaker in January 2001. He is the only Albertan to have held this office. Hays served as president of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

between 1994 and 1999. He has chaired the party's National Executive Committee and Management Committee, as well as serving as Chair of the Liberal party's Revenue Committee. From 1996 to 1998, he served as Election Readiness Co-Chair and National Platform Co-Chair for the Liberal party. Hays is also the past Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group and the Canadian section of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum. On February 1, 2006, he was named as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, replacing Noël Kinsella, a position he held until being succeeded by

Céline Hervieux-Payette Céline Hervieux-Payette (born April 22, 1941) is a former Canadian senator who served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada from 2007 to 2008, the first woman to hold this position. She was previously a Liberal member of Pa ...

on January 18, 2007. On January 22, 2007, he was sworn into the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...

. Hays officially vacated his Senate seat on June 30, 2007. Hays served as an Honorary Lieutenant-colonel of

The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC), colloquially known as The King's Own, is a Royal Canadian Armoured Corps cavalry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. Headquartered at Mewata Armoury in Calgary, Alberta, the King's Own is a part-time Prim ...

since 2000 with two extensions in 2007 and 2010 as Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. In 2005, he was admitted to the pantheon of l'

Order of La Pléiade The Order of La Pléiade (; ) is an honorary order of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. It recognizes people who particularly distinguished themselves in the service of its ideals of cooperation and friendship, promoting the rol ...

by the Canadian branch of l’

Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie The ''Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonies'' (APF) is an association of the parliaments of Francophone countries. History It was established in Luxembourg in 1967, and was then known as the ''Association internationale des parlementaire ...

(APF). He also sits on the Advisory Council of the

Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute The Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) is an independent, non-partisan research institute based in Calgary with an office in Ottawa. Incorporated as a charitable organization in 2001, CGAI seeks to focus the national debate and understandin ...

. In 2018, he was recognized for his exemplary contributions to Alberta and Canada by his alma mater, the

, with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.

Honours

On April 29, 2000, Hays received Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

from the Emperor of Japan. He was conferred with this honour for promoting Canada/Japan bilateral relations. In 2007, Hays was appointed by Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

as member of the Queen's

Privy Council of Canada The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...

. In 2011, Hays became an

Officier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

for his work in furthering Canada's involvement in the Organisation Internationale de Francophonie. In 2012 He received the

Canadian Forces' Decoration The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters "CD") is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to t ...

(CD) for 12 years service in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

. In 2014, Hays was recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the University of Alberta. In 2017, Hays received the Canadian Senate 150th anniversary of Confederation medal from Sen.

Art Eggleton Arthur C. Eggleton (born September 29, 1943) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 59th and longest-serving mayor of Toronto from 1980 to 1991. He was elected to Parliament in 1993, running as a Liberal in York Centre and served ...

. On November 21, 2018, Hays received an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

degree from the

. In 2019 He was appointed as Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

(OC) by

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Julie Payette Julie Payette (; born October 20, 1963) is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the List of governors general of Canada, 29th since Canadian Confederation. Payette holds ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Daniel Appleby College alumni 1939 births Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Canadian senators from Alberta Leaders of the opposition in the Senate of Canada Liberal Party of Canada senators Politicians from Calgary Speakers of the Senate of Canada University of Toronto alumni Living people Presidents of the Liberal Party of Canada Western Canada High School alumni 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada