René Cormier

A Francophone, he is president of the Société nationale de l'Acadie (SNA), the primary organization championing Acadian artists. Following his appointment to the Senate, Cormier stated that he plans to continue with his work with the SNA, while avoiding any conflicts of interest. He formerly served as president for the Commission internationale du theatre francophone, director of the Théâtre populaire d'Acadie, president of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, and as a member of the board for the Canadian Conference of the Arts.

He is out as gay, and spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Pride Caucus, a non-partisan committee of Canada's LGBTQ MPs and senators.