Senator Rose-May Poirier

Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Cathedral Congratulations on Designation as National Historic Monument Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Honourable senators, on August 15, the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, a pillar of Acadian culture and history, was designated a national historic monument. Construction on the cathedral began on January 9, 1938, on the initiative of Bishop Louis-Joseph Arthur Melanson, the first titular of the new Archdiocese of Moncton. The site was inaugurated on November 21, 1940,…

Official Languages Appointment of Commissioner Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Leader, for four days now, minority francophone and anglophone communities have been without a Commissioner of Official Languages since the interim commissioner's term has now ended. After six months and an extremely partisan selection process held by the government, we are back at square one with no one in the position. Official language…

Official Languages Bilingual Status for Canadian Cities Hon. Rose-May Poirier: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Yesterday, during her testimony in Committee of the Whole, Madeleine Meilleur confirmed that she believes the City of Ottawa should be an officially bilingual city. What is the government's position on that? What criteria does it use to determine whether a city should be officially bilingual? [English] Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative i…

Senator Poirier: Ms. Meilleur, I just want to make it clear that I am not questioning your background or your skills. I am questioning the appointment process. Since your appointment, the francophone community has been very divided, especially in Acadia. In fact, the Société des Acadiens du Nouveau-Brunswick, or SANB, has called for a new selection process, given that your appointment is politicizing a position that should serve as a watchdog for the Francophonie. Today we learned that the SANB…