Pierrette Ringuette Explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Pierrette Ringuette
Office:Canadian Senator
from New Brunswick
Nominator:Jean Chrétien
Appointed:Adrienne Clarkson
Term Start:December 12, 2002
Constituency Mp2:Madawaska—Victoria
Predecessor2:Bernard Valcourt
Successor2:riding abolished
Term Start2:October 25, 1993
Term End2:April 27, 1997
Assembly3:New Brunswick Legislative
Constituency Am3:Madawaska South
Term Start3:October 13, 1987
Term End3:October 25, 1993
Predecessor3:Percy Mockler
Successor3:Percy Mockler
Birth Date:31 December 1955
Birth Place:Edmundston, New Brunswick
Party:Independent Senators Group (since 2016)
Otherparty:Liberal (until 2014)
Independent Liberal
(2014-2016)
Occupation:Politician

Pierrette Ringuette (born December 31, 1955), also formerly known as Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, is a Canadian politician.

Ringuette, a businesswoman and professor, was the first francophone woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. She sat in the body as a member of the New Brunswick Liberal Party beginning in 1987, and resigned her seat once she was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). She was succeeded by her predecessor, Percy Mockler, in a provincial by-election in 1993.[1]

In the 1993 federal election, she won a seat in the House of Commons of Canada as the Liberal MP for Madawaska—Victoria by defeating Progressive Conservative Cabinet Minister Bernard Valcourt.

She was defeated in the subsequent 1997 federal election, one of a number of Maritime Liberal MPs who lost their seats that year.

After her electoral defeat, she joined Canada Post Corporation in a senior position as manager of the international trade development unit.

On December 12, 2002, she was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Ringuette, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents.[2] The Senators referred to themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they are no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.[3]

Ringuette announced, on February 2, 2016 that she was leaving the Senate Liberal caucus to sit as an Independent saying, in a statement, that "Canadians have been clear in their desire for a non-partisan Senate. The status quo is not acceptable."[4]

She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Moncton and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. She has completed the coursework for a Master of Industrial Relations.

Electoral record

Federal

|-|Liberal|Pierrette Ringuette|align="right"|16,058|align="right"|48.8|align="right"|+5.0|-| style="width: 150px" |Progressive Conservative|Bernard Valcourt|align="right"|15,045|align="right"|45.7|align="right"|-2.5|-|-|New Democratic Party|Parise Martin|align="right"|844|align="right"|2.6|align="right"|-5.4|- bgcolor="white"!align="left" colspan=3|Total!align="right"|32,902!align="right"|!align="right"|

Provincial

References

Notes
  • Sources
  • Notes and References

    1. News: Election Results for November 29, 1993. 7 December 2021. The Legislative Library of New Brunswick.
    2. Web site: Liberal leader says senators not welcome in caucus. Cbc.ca. 18 November 2017.
    3. News: Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise. January 29, 2014. Globe and Mail. January 29, 2014.
    4. News: Photo GalleriesCBC SecureDrop Irving Gerstein retires from Senate, Pierrette Ringuette to sit as Independent. 12 February 2016. CBC News. 2 February 2016.