Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Canadian novelist, screenwriter and poet David Adams Richards to the Senate.
In his novels, Richards immortalized the Miramichi River valley in the eastern province of New Brunswick and its working-class inhabitants. He will now be representing that province as an independent Senator.
Member of the Order of Canada since 2009, he has also been a mentor for young writers, as well as periods as a writer-in-residence at several Canadian universities and college. Richards is also known as a strong advocate for the arts.
Richards was chosen using the open, merit-based process put in place in 2016 for Senate appointments which have traditionally been partisan. According to the government’s press release, “this process ensures Senators are independent, reflect Canada’s diversity, and are able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country.”
David Adams Richards has been the recipient of many awards, among them the prestigious Giller prize in 2000 for his novel Mercy Among the Children and two Gemini Awards from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for scriptwriting.
(With files from CBC)
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