Noël Augustus Kinsella, (born November 28, 1939) is a

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politician and was

Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada (french: président du Sénat du 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 parliament ...

from 2006 to 2014.

Education

Kinsella was born in

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. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from

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. He is also an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas ''Angelicum'' in

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from which he earned a Ph.L. and then a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

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 S.T.L. and an S.T.D. degree from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He was a Professor for 41 years at St. Thomas University and is currently 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

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Brian Mulroney on September 12, 1990, as a Senator for

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. 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 Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Senator. Kinsella was

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Whip (1994–1999) and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (1999 – October 1, 2004) when he became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. On February 8, 2006, he was named Speaker of the Senate by the Governor General on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Kinsella speaks French, and uses it in parliament. He resigned as Speaker on November 26, 2014, in anticipation of his mandatory retirement from the Senate, upon reaching the age of 75, two days later. Kinsella is considered a

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and supported

Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...

in his bid to become leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in 2003.

Honours and awards

Kinsella is an honorary Captain of the

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since December 2008. He is also a knight of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. He was sworn in as a Member of the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

on February 23, 2015. This gives him the right to the

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prefix "The Honourable" and the post-nominal letters "PC" for life.

Honorary degrees

;Honorary degrees

References

External links

*
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, The Speaker of the Senate, ''Biography''
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsella, Noel 1939 births Alumni of University College Dublin Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian senators from New Brunswick Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Conservative Party of Canada senators Knights of Malta Living people Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Pontifical Lateran University alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Speakers of the Senate of Canada 21st-century Canadian politicians