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Anne Cools

Anne Clare Cools (born August 12 1943) is a member of the Canadian Senate. Born in Barbados, she was the first black person to be appointed to the Canada's upper house.

Her family immigrated to Canada in 1957 when Cools was 14 years old, and settled in Montreal. Attending McGill University to study social work in the 1960s, she became involved in radical campus politics. In 1969, she was a participant in a 10-day sit-in at Sir George Williams University (later Concordia University), protesting alleged racism at the school. The action ended with $2 million worth of damage to computer equipment. Although not accused of damaging property herself, Cools was sentenced to four months imprisonment for participating in the sit-in. In 1974, Cools moved to Toronto where she founded one of the first shelters for abused women in Canada, Women in Transition Inc., and served as its Executive Director.

She twice sought election to the Canadian House of Commons as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada. She lost the Liberal nomination in a highly contested race against John Evans for the 1978 by-election in Rosedale. She ran again in 1979, and won the nomination but was defeated in both the 1979 and 1980 elections by Progressive Conservative candidate David Crombie. On her second attempt, she lost by fewer than 2,000 votes.

In 1984, she was summoned to the Canadian Senate by then Governor General Edward Schreyer, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

In the 1990s, Senator Cools served on the Senate/House of Commons Special Joint Committee on Child Custody Access which in December of 1998 issued its report titled For the Sake of the Children. Her extensive work on the Committee, and its wide investigations, saw her become increasingly outspoken on the issues of fathers' rights, divorce and family values. She was candid in her criticism of the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien when proposed legislation to be introduced in the House of Commons was shelved after intense lobbying by women's groups.

Senator Cools also became increasingly critical of the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, and of same-sex marriage. On June 8, 2004, she announced that she was crossing the floor to join the Conservative Party of Canada.

Cools was vocal in criticizing Paul Martin after the passing of a motion of non-confidence against his government in 2005. She openly called for Martin to resign rather than dissolving Parliament, stating that the motion of non-confidence was expressing no-confidence in the Prime Minister, and not directly in the government. Rather than calling for a general election, Cools stated that Martin should have resigned.

On June 25, 2007 she was removed from Conservative caucus for speaking out against Prime Minister Stephen Harper and for voting against the 2007 budget but is still recognized as a Conservative on government forms.

She has designated herself as representing the Senate division of Toronto-Centre-York.

Quotes

"For every abusive husband there is an abusive mother."

Assault controversy

In 2005, Cools claimed to have been assaulted by fellow Senators and to have witnessed a Senator hitting a child. Canadian Senators expressed shock after the claims were picked up by the media.