Join Senator Peter Harder on Wednesday, March 27 at 2:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building for a public lecture on the importance of Canada's Chamber of "second sober thought" especially to smaller provinces. He will elaborate on how the new independent system actually enhances the voices of the smaller provinces as well as those of minority groups and Indigenous Canadians. He will also discuss the need for a Senate committee to keep a close eye on Senate expenses in the wake of the spending difficulties of the last Parliament. Senator Harder entered the Upper Chamber in April 2016, as the first Independent Senator appointed under a new non-partisan selection process that invites all eligible Canadians to submit applications. He arrived in the Senate with nearly 30 years of experience in the federal public service, and a decade serving as a volunteer in various organizations and as a member of several boards of directors. In the Senate, Senator Harder is tasked with both shepherding government legislation through the Upper Chamber and leading efforts on reform towards a more independent, accountable and transparent institution. The Senator’s visit to Charlottetown is day two of a two-day trip in Atlantic Canada. Earlier on Wednesday, he will visit a local school where students will sing O Canada in Mi’kmaq. Senator Harder meets later in the day with the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI.