Hon. René Cormier: Honourable senators, December 13 was Acadian Remembrance Day. Every year, on the same date, the Acadian community mourns as it remembers one of the darkest days of the Great Upheaval, which occurred from 1755 to 1764.

On December 12 and 13, 1758, two British ships, the Violet and the Duke William, sank in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with them many Acadian families who had been deported. Nearly 3,000 Acadians from Île St-Jean, known today as Prince Edward Island, were forced off their land and put on ships bound for Europe, and 750 of those men, women and children drowned or died from sickness.

Somewhere between the New World and Europe, their voices were swallowed up in the depths of the sea, taking with them the hopes and dreams of an entire people. These were the voices of the French Acadians that the conquerors of the time wanted to silence forever, voices that, with the help of the Mi’kmaq people, had been singing, praying and making their existence known in the lands of Acadia, now known as Nova Scotia, since 1604.

Charles Lawrence, the British governor responsible for the Deportation, planned to wipe out the Acadians’ social and cultural identity. However, he misjudged this resilient people, who were able to defy the odds and return decades later.

The voices that were believed to have been silenced forever at the bottom of the Atlantic have emerged stronger and more empowered than ever. Now they are claiming their place here in Canada and have gained recognition around the world.

On Wednesday, November 24, 2021, in Paris, France honoured one of Acadia’s most vibrant voices. Accompanied by a delegation of scholars, artists, business people and activists, Acadian author Antonine Maillet, the first Canadian to be awarded the prestigious Goncourt prize, was promoted to the rank of Commander of the French Legion of Honour in recognition of her body of work. The gathering reaffirmed the unbreakable bond uniting Acadia and France.

The honour bestowed on Ms. Maillet also reminds us that, here in Canada, more than 257 years after the Deportation, the Acadian people must carry on fighting to ensure respect for the French language, one of our country’s official languages, within our institutions and governments.

On November 24, accompanied by the French President, Antonine Maillet planted an oak tree in France. Centuries earlier in America, Acadians were left with nothing. The oak tree symbolizes Acadians’ attachment to their original homeland.

That same day, an inflatable boat carrying Iraqi Kurdish migrants sank in the English Channel off the port of Calais, killing 27 and injuring two. One person is still missing.

History keeps repeating itself, colleagues. As 2021 draws to a close, let’s stand in solidarity with all those uprooted and displaced peoples who are suffering a fate similar to that of the Acadian people, and let’s take action together to put an end to these inhuman tragedies.

Thank you.

Hon. René Cormier: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, but if I may, I’d like to first wish happy holidays to all of my colleagues in the Senate and all the staff. I wish you a healthy and safe holiday season.

Since 2016, Senate applications have been reviewed by an independent advisory board. This independent and non-partisan body is mandated to:

 . . . provide non-binding merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Senate nominations.

In establishing a list of candidates, the board members seek to support the Government of Canada’s intent “to ensure representation of . . . linguistic, minority and ethnic communities in the Senate.”

On May 27, 2021, in response to a question I asked the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, the then President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, he told the chamber, and I quote:

We recognize the importance of making sure these communities are properly represented as senators are appointed. The Prime Minister is absolutely willing to do that. . . . I am confident that we may see other Acadians appointed to the Senate, and that they will not just come from our province of New Brunswick, but from other provinces as well.

However, Nova Scotia has had no Acadian representation in the Senate ever since the Honourable Gérald Comeau retired on November 30, 2013, a first since 1907. Newfoundland and Labrador, meanwhile, has never had a francophone Senate representative. Prince Edward Island has no Acadian representation, and Northern New Brunswick, a region often forgotten by our elected officials, has been without a Senate representative since Senator Paul McIntyre retired.

Given the exceptional expertise of many Acadians in Atlantic Canada, and considering the number of Senate vacancies, when does the Prime Minister plan to recommend senators from the Acadian and francophone communities of the Atlantic provinces to the Governor General of Canada?

Hon. René Cormier: Honourable senators, my question has to do with francophone affairs. Today, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and the Commission nationale des parents francophones said they were:

 . . . aghast to learn that there are hardly any measures for the Francophonie in most of the agreements signed with the provinces and territories for the national child care program.

If that is the case, can the Government of Canada guarantee that the new version of the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act will include key provisions to promote the inclusion of strong language clauses in federal-provincial agreements?