QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
Senate Vacancies
April 25, 2023
Good afternoon, minister. Welcome to the Senate.
Minister, given that the Constitution guarantees the equitable representation of regions in the Senate and that you stated in this chamber that it is important that minority language communities be properly represented as senators are appointed;
Furthermore, given that there is a constitutional convention that francophone and Acadian communities have the right to representation in the Senate;
Given the constitutional specificity of New Brunswick on language rights and considering also the economic and social inequalities between the northern and southern parts of our province;
Finally, given that the seat of Acadian senator Paul McIntyre, who retired in 2019, has not been filled, depriving the regions of Restigouche and Chaleur in northern New Brunswick of representation in the upper chamber;
When will the Prime Minister recommend to the Governor General of Canada the appointment of a francophone senator from northern New Brunswick who will represent the interests of this region?
Thank you, Senator Cormier, for your question. I also want to commend the work you do for francophone minorities in the country, especially our dear fellow Acadians, as part of your service here in the upper chamber. I fully share your concern over the representation of minority groups here in the Senate.
I believe we are on the eve of making appointments and I hope you will be very pleased with the decisions the Prime Minister is making. I don’t want to elaborate, of course. I learned in politics that it is best not to speak for your boss and to allow his appointments to speak for themselves. Based on my discussions with him, he is aware of the constitutional principles you mentioned.
As far as the geography of our province is concerned, we could also discuss that at length. I think that linguistic balance is important. We might find different ways of adjusting the geography, the geographic specificity. Ultimately, we will see what happens in the Prime Minister’s appointments. I understand the urgency to take action. I’m not saying that we should fall behind, but the linguistic issue is important and we might disagree slightly on the geography, but we will see what happens when the appointments are announced.
