Senator Rose-May Poirier

Commissioner of Official Languages Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Minister, I would like to welcome you. Since your government was elected, you have been aware that Mr. Graham Fraser, the Commissioner of Official Languages, is approaching the end of his term. However, a year did not seem to be sufficient for you and he agreed to a three-month extension of his term. Now, that is not enough. Even though you know that his term ends on December 15, 2016, you are accepting applications until December 2, and…

Official Languages Services for Linguistic Minority Communities Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Last March, your government eliminated the title of Minister of Official Languages. Now, no one in the Trudeau government is responsible for official languages. Last week, we saw the first signs of the impact this decision will have. Many francophone organizations have indicated that federal funding for francophone immigration to minority communities will be redirected to organizations in majority commun…

Lobster Fishery Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Honourable senators, as the fall lobster season ended last week for fishermen in my community, I want to share with you that it has been a very good season for our lobster fishermen. After years of having a difficult price, where it was hard for them to make ends meet, they have had a better price from the market — double compared to the past years. More importantly, there weren't any major accidents on the water except one crew being saved by another boat…

Employment and Social Development Employment Insurance Benefits Hon. Rose-May Poirier: My question is for the government leader in the Senate. The Trudeau government proposed to shorten the waiting period for EI to one week instead of two, effective January 1, 2017. Leader, I have a simple yes or no question. Will the claimants receiving benefits one week earlier lose one week of EI benefits at the end of the claim period? Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): I wil…

Official Languages Linguistic Duality Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Currently, immigrants between the ages of 18 and 65 must know one of the country's two official languages to obtain Canadian citizenship. The Liberal government announced plans to change that requirement to 18 to 55 years of age. The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages released a report in December 2014. This is what it says on page 2…