- Born
- March 2, 1954 — New Brunswick
- Political Experience
- Member of the Senate of Canada since February 28, 2010. Previously served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Rogersville-Kouchibouguac from 1999 to 2010. Served as New Brunswick's minister responsible for the Office of Human Resources (2003-2006), Minister of Local Government (2006), and Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs (2006). Served as a municipal councillor in Saint-Louis-de-Kent from 1993 to 1999.
- Notable
- First elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 1999 provincial election in the closest result of that election. Served as the deputy chair of the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages in the 45th Canadian Parliament.
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before being appointed to the Senate, Rose-May Poirier had a career in business and provincial politics. She reportedly owned and managed a fishing business in Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick. Her political career began at the municipal level before she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1999. In the provincial government, she served in several cabinet positions under Premier Bernard Lord, including Minister of the Office of Human Resources and Minister responsible for the Aboriginal Affairs Agency. This background in both private business management and public administration formed the basis of her career before her Senate appointment in 2010.
Key Relationships & Connections
Rose-May Poirier was appointed to the Senate on the advice of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, linking her to the Conservative government of that era. Her political career in New Brunswick was closely tied to former Premier Bernard Lord, in whose Progressive Conservative government she served as a cabinet minister for several years. These relationships place her within the mainstream of both the federal and New Brunswick conservative political movements of the 2000s.
Public Controversies
Rose-May Poirier was one of several senators named in the 2015 report by the Auditor General of Canada on Senate expenses. The report flagged over $100,000 in questionable travel and living expense claims she had made. The Auditor General's findings questioned the eligibility of these expenses under Senate rules. Following the report, her file was among those referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for a criminal investigation. According to reports, Poirier repaid a portion of the disputed amount. In 2016, the RCMP announced that it would not be laying criminal charges against her in relation to the expense claims.