René Cormier

René Cormier (born April 27, 1956) is a Canadian Acadian artist and activist from New Brunswick. On October 27, 2016, Cormier was named to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to sit as an independent. Cormier assumed his seat on November 10, 2016.

A Francophone, he is president of the (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, president of the , 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.