Pierrette Ringuette

{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1955)}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Pierrette Ringuette

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

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| office = Canadian Senator
from New Brunswick

| nominator = Jean Chrétien

| appointed = Adrienne Clarkson

| predecessor =

| successor =

| term_start = December 12, 2002

| term_end =

| constituency_MP2 = Madawaska—Victoria

| parliament2 =

| 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 = {{birth date and age|1955|12|31}}

| birth_place = Edmundston, New Brunswick

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| spouse =

| party = Independent Senators Group (since 2016)

|otherparty = Liberal (until 2014)
Independent Liberal
(2014-2016)

| relations =

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| occupation = Politician

| profession =

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}}

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.{{cite news|title=Election Results for November 29, 1993|url=https://www1.gnb.ca/leglibbib/en/Resources/NBElections.aspx/ElectionResults/11-29-1993|access-date=7 December 2021|work=The Legislative Library of New Brunswick}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-removes-senators-from-liberal-caucus-1.2515273|title=Liberal leader says senators not welcome in caucus|website=Cbc.ca|access-date=18 November 2017}} The Senators referred to themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they are no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.{{cite news|title=Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-to-boot-senators-from-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-restore-senate-independence/article16567413/|access-date=January 29, 2014|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=January 29, 2014}}

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."{{cite news|title=Photo GalleriesCBC SecureDrop Irving Gerstein retires from Senate, Pierrette Ringuette to sit as Independent|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senator-ringuette-independent-caucus-1.3430433|access-date=12 February 2016|work=CBC News|date=2 February 2016}}

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.