Sask.'s new Senate of Canada appointee Tracy Muggli preparing for role

Tracy Mugglisays that when she recently received a call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the first subject they talked about was the weather.

"That's what we do here in Canada, we talk about the weather first," Muggli said.

Then he talked about her skills, her roles in health care where Muggli is the executive director at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon andher work in social services and the community, she said. Then he offered her a seat to represent Saskatchewan on the Senate of Canada.

"I'm very, very excited and honoured to be placed in this role to work hard for Canadians and Saskatchewanians," Muggli told Peter Mills, host of CBC's The Afternoon Edition.

Muggli was appointed by Gov. Gen.Mary Simonalongside Charles Adler, who has been heavily criticized since his appointment for past comments about the Senate andIndigenous communities.

The Afternoon Edition - Sask9:32Saskatoon's Tracy Muggli appointed as senator

A long-time Saskatchewan health and social services advocate is heading to the Canadian Senate. Tracy Muggli is currently executive director of Saskatoon's St Paul's Hospital. The Afternoon Edition looks at her appointment to the upper house and the priorities she's bringing to the job.

Muggli has been the executive director of St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon for the past four years, starting at the opening of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has also worked in the health-care sector as thedirector of mental health and addiction services for the Saskatoon Health Region and in home care.

She said thatafter she settles into her new role, she wants to dive into health-care innovation, and managing mental health and substance use issues.

"Of course with St. Paul's being in the core neighbourhood, we've really seen an increase of substance use presentations, overdoses, homelessness," she said.

"It's really created a lot of additional challenges for our hospital to try to step up and meet the needs of so many people that are in very difficult circumstances."

Muggli responds to claims appointment was not independent

Muggli ran for the federal Liberals in the SaskatoonGrasswood riding in 2015 and 2019, losing to the Conservative candidates both times. She has also been a longtime donor to the party, according to publicly available contribution data.

A news release from Trudeau's office announcing Muggli's appointment, along with Adler's, says the senators were recommended to Trudeau from an independent advisory board because of their merit. Trudeau then advised Simon of those candidates.

A spokesman for the office of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Trudeau of lying about the independent nature of his Senate picks, saying "the reality is that nearly every person he has appointed is in fact a Liberal senator."

"Today's appointment of Charles Adler, one of Justin Trudeau's biggest cheerleaders and most vicious anti-Conservative attack dogs in the media, and Tracy Muggli, Team Trudeau Liberal candidate and prolific Liberal Party donor, prove that Trudeau is appointing his Liberal friends to defend his disastrous policies," Sebastian Skamski wrote in an emailed statement.

When asked if she was independent, Muggli said she has not donated to, or been a member of, the Liberal party for five years.

"I ran because I valued a lot of the policies that the Liberal Party was putting forward. But I think my 35 years of experience in our community, volunteerism, health, social services speaks for itself and take any political history away from that," she said.

Muggli saidshe expects to be sworn in to the role in mid-September, and is beginning to onboard and transition out of her executive role at St. Paul's Hospital.

She said she's received advice from others,like retired senator Lillian Dyck.Dyck wouldn't elaborate on that conversation, but said she was very happy to see Muggli appointed to the role.

In an emailed statement, Senator Marty Klyne said, "I look forward to welcoming and working with Senator Muggli, and am pleased to see that Saskatchewan will by fully represented in the Senate."

"Ms. Muggli brings substantial knowledge, skills, and abilities that will allow her to make valued contributions to our work in the Senate. Of that, I have no doubt," Klyne said.