Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, P.C., M.P., Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: Thank you for that question. When it comes to making sure that we have the proper representation, that is really important. I was not aware of that process where there’s always been an Acadian senator appointed from Nova Scotia. I will certainly be following up with the Prime Minister’s Office on that with respect to the vacancy. Being an Acadian from New Brunswick myself, I’m proud of my culture and my heritage. We always hope there will be proper representation of senators within specific communities. I commit to you that I will certainly be following up on that matter with the Prime Minister’s Office.

Hon. Nancy J. Hartling: Honourable senators, on this National Hospice Palliative Care Week in Canada, it is time to celebrate and share achievements. I would like to offer my congratulations on the recent opening of our new hospice residence Maison Albert House in Moncton, New Brunswick. My gratitude to Dennis Cochrane, former chair of the not-for-profit Hospice SENB, and to the board of directors and volunteers whose tireless efforts over the past 15 years made this project possible. It is truly a labour of love and compassion with so many people working to make it a reality. I toured the facility before it opened and later attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and I am so proud to see such an outstanding project in my hometown.

It was named in recognition of Albert Arseneault, a prominent member of our community whose family donated $1 million to the project. In addition, financial backing from all levels of government ensured success. The residence was built on land generously donated by the Hum-Lew-Sun Lions Club. This is truly a community effort.

Maison Albert House in southeast New Brunswick is the first residential hospice and will eventually serve up to 150 palliative care patients a year. The residence operates in close collaboration with the New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program run by Medavie.

The type of care most of us will need at the end of our lives can be very complex and it needs to include consideration for physical comfort, emotional and spiritual needs, daily care and other practical considerations. In Canada, hospitals have become the default providers of end-of-life and palliative care because of the multitude of tests and scans that are needed at this stage of life, and because alternatives are sometimes difficult to find. This is very taxing on hospitals and stands in contrast to most patients’ stated desire to spend their last treasured days at home or in a quiet, private place. Maison Albert House and the Extra-Mural Program are working to provide better options.

The need for this new facility was clear. Despite Moncton being the fastest-growing region in New Brunswick, there were only 13 palliative care beds available at our two major hospitals.

Maison Albert House will be able to provide personalized palliative care free of charge for up to 10 residents who will each have their own private room. Families from out of town will be able to visit their loved ones and stay in one of four guest rooms. Residents will be served by 12 full-time and 9 part-time nurses and support care workers, along with trained volunteers. An in-house chef will prepare healthy, delicious meals. Also, it’s pet friendly — a wonderful policy, as our furry companions can bring us much joy and comfort. Sweetpea is the in-house therapy dog and will also be doing her rounds, visiting the residents on a daily basis.

My sincere thanks to all the volunteers, the staff and the board of Hospice SENB for making Maison Albert House a reality through this wonderful, much-needed initiative. Thank you.

Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, P.C., M.P., Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: Thank you very much, senator. It’s always a pleasure to see senators from New Brunswick. Thank you for your work.

Once again, Justice DeWare’s ruling is currently being analyzed by the Minister of Justice. It is being reviewed.

As I mentioned, the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, Ms. Murphy, is a woman who has served her community and province for many years. She made a clear commitment to becoming proficient in French.

As for the appeal court ruling, the Minister of Justice is reviewing the decision and we hope to give you an update about the next steps as soon as possible.

Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, P.C., M.P., Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: Thank you, senator. Again, it’s always nice to see senators from New Brunswick, and I thank you for your hard work.

To be honest, these are not little questions, and I would really need more than 90 seconds to answer them. However, I would be more than happy to send you a detailed written response.

As for the Atlantic Loop, this is a priority for us. In one of my first meetings with the Premier of Nova Scotia, Premier Houston, it was the first issue he wanted to discuss. We realize that if the government wants to achieve its goal of net zero by 2050, we need to find innovative, green solutions. I also had the opportunity to meet with people from Belledune and they told me about the green energy hub project, which is very interesting. As the federal government, we want to work with our provincial and Atlantic partners, with the four premiers, to ensure that we come up with a solution that will meet everyone’s needs.

As you mentioned, high electricity rates are a concern for everyone, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, as their prices are even higher than the national average. That’s why this is a top priority for them, and the federal government wants to work in close cooperation in order to find a solution to this situation.

I would like to mention one last aspect of Budget 2022. We set aside money for developing a game plan to allow us to begin this work. We look forward to working with the premiers of the four provinces to find an innovative, green solution to address this situation.

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