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Senator Dan Hays was born in Calgary on April 24, 1939 and was raised on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Calgary in what is now a suburb called Haysboro. He was awarded an arts degree from the University of Alberta in 1962 and then went on to complete a law degree at the University of Toronto. In 1965 he articled for the Calgary law firm, Macleod Dixon, and in 1966 he was called to the Bar of Alberta. He then joined Macleod Dixon and has since remained an associate. Senator Hays has been involved in the cattle industry since 1957 and continues to maintain a small herd of Hays Converters. In 1984, he was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Trudeau. During his parliamentary career, Senator Hays has served on a number of Senate Committees. In 1999, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in Senate, and in 2001, Prime Minister Chrétien appointed him Speaker of the Senate. Senator Hays has also served as President of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 2006, following the federal general election, Senator Hays became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Senator Hays enjoys downhill skiing, horseback riding, films and following national and international public and cultural affairs, in particular, through the medium of public radio, television and a variety of periodicals. Senator Hays has been married to his wife, Kathy, since June, 2001. He has three daughters, Carol, Janet and Sarah, from his previous marriage, and two granddaughters, Theodora and Alexandra. Childhood and Youth Senator Dan Hays, the only child of Harry and Muriel Hays, was born in Calgary, Alberta on April 24, 1939. His father managed and later owned a dairy farm on the outskirts of Calgary where Senator Hays was raised. With the exception of a brief sojourn at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario, Senator Hays received his education in Calgary; he first attended Strathcona School (now Strathcona-Tweedsmuir), and went on to complete his secondary studies at Western Canadian High School. Canada’s entry into WWII in September, 1939 had an enduring effect on the Senator’s early years. By 1942, able-bodied farm workers from the Calgary area were serving in the Canadian Army. Japanese-Canadians, driven inland from British Columbia by federal legislation which forbade them to live in coastal areas, provided replacement labour. Like many other farm families, Senator Hays’ parents employed Japanese-Canadians during the war years, and their children became Senator Hays’ childhood playmates and friends. The contrast between prevailing war-time attitudes toward Japanese-Canadians and the Senator’s own experiences served to provide an early but lasting lesson in the dangers of prejudice. Many years later, the Senator pursued a number of business, cultural, and political initiatives to foster and promote Canada-Japan relations. Always an avid reader with a profound interest in the humanities, Senator Hays pursued an arts degree at the University of Alberta. In addition to his formal studies, Senator Hays immersed himself in a variety of social and political activities. He was involved in student politics, participated in model parliaments as a young Liberal, and took part in the University’s model United Nations. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962, and continued his studies at the University of Toronto’s Law School, graduating with an LLB in 1965. The years Senator Hays spent in Toronto studying law were instructive on another front. While his father, the Honourable Harry Hays, then a member of Parliament, served as Minister of Agriculture in Prime Minister Pearson’s first government, working to develop agricultural policies for all of Canada, Dan Hays had many opportunities to spend time in Ottawa, affording him a better understanding of the challenges of governance in a federation. As a rural Albertan, he was aware of the sense of alienation many westerners felt; as a resident of Toronto, he could observe at close range the dynamic economy and financial preoccupations of central Canada. These youthful lessons in regional differences would underwrite the Senator’s later efforts to pursue and advocate a more inclusive and coherent federal policy-making process. The Professional Years After graduating from law school, Dan Hays returned to Calgary and articled with Macleod Dixon, a Calgary-based (now international) law firm. He was called to the Bar of Alberta in 1966 and subsequently chose to remain with Macleod Dixon. Forty years later, Senator Hays takes pride in continuing his association with this dynamic firm. In addition to his law career, Senator Hays became involved in the livestock business as a breeder, exhibitor, and marketer. He and his father, Senator Harry Hays (who served in the Senate from 1966 to 1982), operated a large mixed farm and ranch near Pekisko in the Foothills southwest of Calgary. Senator Hays shared his father’s keen interest in developing a hardy and efficient new breed of beef cattle. Using performance records to select for desirable characteristics, in particular rapid growth rate, Harry Hays developed the Hays Converter breed. The undertaking was inspired by the example of improved dairy breeds, in particular Holsteins, resulting from the use of performance based selection criteria, and the belief that this was a compelling precedent that should be followed in the beef industry. These efforts, which began in the mid-1950s, culminated in the recognition of the Hays Converter breed in 1975. This is the first and only Canadian developed pure-breed of cattle to be recognized as such in Canada. Senator Harry Hays passed away in 1982, but his son continued to operate the ranch for another eighteen years. In 2000, Senator Dan Hays sold the bulk of his ranchlands, but he still maintains a herd of 200 Hays Converter cows.
Senator Hays is proud to serve as an Honorary Colonel of the King's
Own Calgary Regiment whose long-standing tradition of service to the
military and to the Calgary community is impressive. Its history
includes over forty battle honours as well as firsts in the use of
tanks in combat. The King's Own also features a renowned band that
plays at numerous events including events for Legions and Charities. The Ottawa Years Dan Hays was appointed to the Senate by the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau on June 29, 1984. At the time of his appointment he was chairing the Executive Committee of Macleod Dixon while carrying on the farming and ranching business he had inherited from his father. Much of Senator Hays’ life before his appointment to the Senate involved the search for fairness and balance: as a child, he learned from his own experiences with Japanese-Canadians to be suspicious of prejudice; from his observations of political disaffection and frustration, he recognized a need for a balance of east/west interests. Senator Hays learned to balance his passion for agriculture with his professional commitments as a lawyer. That Senator Hays would one day declare that “the main role of senators consists of providing a balancing mechanism for the governing of our federation” and that the Senate is “. . . a mechanism to balance the wishes of the Canadian majority with protection of regional interests and minority rights,” seems wholly in keeping with his character and convictions. When Senator Hays first came to the Senate, the task of balancing individual and collective goals was hampered by insufficient discretionary budgets for research and special projects, antiquated House procedures and lack of public visibility. Over the years, however, the functioning of the Senate evolved to better meet the demands of a modern Parliament. Budgets for research and special projects now enable senators to retain the services of researchers and assistants. Rules governing House procedures have been rationalized and streamlined. Agreements with the Canadian Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) to broadcast Senate committee deliberations, coupled with virtually universal access to the Internet, have improved the Senate’s visibility. These important developments in the way the Senate functions, he believes, are important adaptations resulting in a more effective Senate. Senator Hays believes that the Senate is “at its best” when controversial matters are being debated in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Since 1984, Senator Hays has participated in many important Senate debates. Some memorable examples include the Canada/US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Goods and Service Tax (GST), and the Clarity Bill. In the spring of 1986, Canada and the United States entered into negotiations to liberalize trade between the two countries with a view to eliminating most tariffs and to agree on rules for dispute settlement. Canadians were greatly divided on the issue: some saw the Free Trade Agreement as a valuable opportunity to access American markets; others saw it as unwanted competition for our energy resources and a threat to social and cultural programs. A Liberal majority in opposition ensured that a vigorous debate took place in the Senate, reflecting the divergence of opinion across Canada. In 1988, an election that focused on these issues was held, returning the government of Prime Minister Mulroney to power after which implementing legislation was passed with support from the opposition majority in the Senate. The 1991 debate on the Goods and Service Tax in the Senate was equally contentious. The Liberal majority in the Senate refused to pass the proposed Goods and Service Tax. This, in the end, prompted Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to use a constitutional provision to temporarily increase the number of senators by eight, for the first time in our history, in order to attain a government majority in the Senate. One of the most difficult and far-reaching debates in the Senate was a response to the 1995 Quebec referendum on the question of secession from Canada. The purpose of the Clarity Act was to set out a way for Parliament to respond to a proposed provincial referendum on the question of secession. The Senate passed the Clarity Act on June 29, 2000. More recently, the Senate debate regarding the HIV/Aids pandemic and Canada’s leadership role in finding the means to supply anti-retroviral drugs at a lower cost to victims in undeveloped and developing countries stands out as critically important and rewarding work. While the Senate’s work on this issue does not produce the sparks and confrontations of other debates, Senator Hays believes its importance may prove to be paramount. By June, 2004, AIDS was claiming the lives of some 8,500 people per day worldwide, and in Africa, the effects of this disease are catastrophic. Senator Hays is also a vigorous supporter of the work of Senate committees, and he takes pride in reminding Canadians that “they do the same kind of work as royal commissions, but faster and at a fraction of the cost.” During his parliamentary career, Senator Hays served as Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Under his leadership, the committee released the following Senate reports: Special Study on Farm Safety and Health Related Issues (1995); Agricultural and Forestry's Fact Finding Missions to Washington and Winnipeg (1995); and, Financing the Family Farm to the Year 2000 (1988). Senator Hays also served as Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources from 1989 to 1993. The committee produced the following reports: The Energy Emissions Crisis: A Viable Alternative (1993); Completing a Protected Areas System in Canada (1993); Petro-Canada (1990), and contributed to the reports Oil Marketing: 1986, and Natural Gas Deregulation and Marketing (1988). Senator Hays was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on October 12, 1999. As Deputy Leader, Senator Hays was responsible for the progress of government legislation through the Senate. In January of 2001, Senator Hays was appointed Speaker of the Senate. As Speaker, he played a significant role as a parliamentary diplomat, greeting incoming delegations from the parliaments of other countries and, from time to time, leading Canadian delegations abroad on official and working visits. Interaction with diplomats and foreign dignitaries helped broaden his understanding of Canada’s goals and objectives on a global scale, and brought home to him the tremendous respect and high esteem other countries have for Canada, particularly her values. In his diplomatic role as Speaker, Senator Hays was guided by very specific values: the promotion of opportunities for all Canadians to participate in the wealth of the country, pluralism, tolerance, and respect for the cultures and traditions of the peoples who make up Canada. In February 2006, following the federal general election, Senator Hays became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. In addition to his parliamentary duties, Senator Hays has been involved in numerous activities, associations, and organizations, including serving for five years as a member of the board of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As Past President of the Liberal Party of Canada, Senator Hays chaired both the National Executive Committee and the Management Committee. In addition, he has served as the chairman of the party’s Revenue Committee, responsible for operational and national election campaign fund-raising requirements. In 1996 and 1997, the Senator served as Election Readiness Co-Chair and National Platform Co-Chair for the Party. In each of these roles he met with Canadians from across the land and, from this experience, and from this experience, he garnered a sensitivity to the diverse needs and aspirations of Canadians. In 1970, Senator Hays made his first visit to Japan, promoting the export of purebred sheep from Canada. Deeply moved by his experiences in Japan (and propelled by childhood memories of his Japanese playmates), Senator Hays participated in initiatives to foster Canada/Japan relations. Notably, he is the immediate Past Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group. This group promotes exchanges between Canadian and Japanese Parliamentarians, works to develop co-operation and proposes initiatives to lead to a better mutual understanding of multi-lateral and bi-lateral issues in the Asia Pacific region. Senator Hays is also the immediate Past Chairman of the Canadian section of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum. On April 29, 2000, the Emperor of Japan conferred on him the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure for his work in promoting the Canada/Japan bi-lateral relationship. Senator Hays is one of two Canadians to be so honoured. And during his time as Speaker, he became increasingly involved in matters relating to the Commonwealth. As Speaker of the Senate, Senator Hays had frequent contact with Canadians from all walks of life who, through philanthropy and generous commitments of time and energy, made positive and important contributions to our communities. He took great pleasure in officially recognizing the extraordinary generosity of Canadians, but also cherished the knowledge that just as many Canadians, day in and day out, quietly contribute to the well-being of fellow citizens. The Senator’s travels across this country have given him a profound sense of how well our federal structure of government supports the aspirations of all Canadians, and he is quick to encourage young Canadians to see the nation for themselves, to become involved in public life and continue to build on our cherished traditions and values. Personal Senator Hays enjoys downhill skiing, horseback riding, films and following national and international public and cultural affairs, in particular, through the media of public radio, television and a variety of periodicals. Senator Hays has been married to his wife, Kathy, since June, 2001. He has three daughters, Carol, Janet and Sarah, from his previous marriage, and two granddaughters, Theodora and Alexandra. |