Pierrette Ringuette

Who is Pierrette Ringuette?

Pierrette Ringuette, also formerly known as Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, is a Canadian Senator.

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.

In the 1993 federal election, she won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Member of Parliament 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. According to Senate Opposition leader James Cowan, the Senators will still refer to themselves as Liberals even if they are no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.