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René Cormier

Senator René Cormier

Biography

The Honourable René Cormier joined the Senate of Canada on November 10, 2016, as an independent senator from New Brunswick.

Since his appointment to the Senate of Canada, the Honourable René Cormier is committed to defending and promoting arts and culture, language rights, and human rights. He currently chairs the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages and is a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. He has also served on the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications and the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

The Honourable René Cormier is actively involved in parliamentary associations, interparliamentary groups and friendship groups. Senator Cormier also serves as Vice-Chair of the Canada-Africa and Canada-France Interparliamentary Associations and acts as Second Vice-President for North America on the Open Parliament Network of ParlAmericas.

The Honourable René Cormier is a founding member of the Acadian Association of Canadian Parliamentarians (AACP), a friendship group dedicated to strengthening and increasing the political influence of the Acadian people within the Canadian federation. Senator Cormier is also the co-chair of the Canadian Pride Caucus, of which he is one of the founders. This Caucus is composed of Canadian Senators and Members of Parliament from different political parties. The main objective of the Caucus is to work in a non-partisan manner to advance the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ in Canada and around the world.

A committed man of action, Senator Cormier has an impressive professional record in the field of arts and culture. Educated in music at l’Université du Québec à Montréal and in theatre at l’École internationale Jacques LeCoq, in Paris, this multidisciplinary artist has held several positions within Canada’s cultural ecosystem, including that of artistic director, director, actor, musician, composer, cultural manager, and announcer.

A recognized leader, Senator Cormier worked for nearly forty years to ensure that arts and culture play a bigger role in every aspect of Acadian and Canadian society. He has chaired several national and international organizations, including the Commission internationale du théâtre francophone (CITF), the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF), l’Association des théâtres francophones du Canada (ATFC), and the New Brunswick Arts Council. He has also sat on several boards of directors, including that of TV5 Québec-Canada, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, and the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival.

Throughout his career, he has led countless cultural organizations and events, including providing direction for and presenting a number of variety shows on Radio-Canada television, providing artistic and general direction at the Théâtre populaire d’Acadie, artistic direction for the National Arts Centre biennial Zones Théâtrales, artistic direction for the 2009 Congrès mondial acadien, and management of the États généraux des arts et de la culture dans la société acadienne au Nouveau-Brunswick within the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick. In that role, Senator Cormier worked with his colleagues on bringing together various linguistic and cultural communities in his native province.

A lifelong Acadian activist, from June 2015 until his appointment to the Upper Chamber,
Senator Cormier presided over la Société Nationale de l’Acadie (SNA), the representative organization for the Acadian people in Atlantic Canada, nationally and internationally.

Senator Cormier is recognized for his integrity, his professionalism, his ability to bring people together, and his motivational skills. He has earned many recognitions throughout his career, including The King Charles III’s Coronation Medal (2024), The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (2023), an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from the Université de Moncton (2018), l’Ordre des francophones d’Amérique (2008), the Order of Arts and Letters of France (2003), the Jean-Claude Marcus Award for his contribution to francophone theatre in Canada (2005), the Economic Council of New Brunswick manager of the year Award in 2000, and the Éloize Award for theatre artist of the year (1998).

Senator René Cormier lives in Caraquet, New Brunswick, a vibrant Acadian municipality known as the cultural capital of Acadie.

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