December 12, 2002
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that Her Excellency the Governor General has consented to summon Ms. Maria Chaput of Manitoba, Ms. Pana Papas Merchant, of Saskatchewan and Ms. Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais of New Brunswick to the Senate.

With these three appointments there are now 34 women sitting in the Senate, twice as many as when the Prime Minister came to power in 1993.

These appointments will take effect immediately.

Biographical notes are attached.

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With this appointment, Ms. Chaput becomes the first Franco-Manitoban woman to sit in the Senate.

During her career as a businesswoman, Ms. Maria Chaput has applied her dynamism and generosity on behalf of the Franco-Manitoban community, and has worked tirelessly to promote the province’s economic development.

For over 30 years, Ms. Chaput has been a prominent leader in the French-Canadian community and has received a number of distinctions for her exemplary community involvement. The active roles she has played in organizations as varied as the Société franco-manitobaine, the Fédération des aînés franco-manitobains and the Division scolaire manitobaine, along with her involvement in supporting the province’s economic development, attest to her strong attachment to all aspects of Franco-Manitoban life.

Ms. Chaput attended the University of Saskatchewan and the Collège Universitaire de Saint-Boniface.

Ms. Chaput was born in 1942. She has three children.

Ms. Pana Papas Merchant is the second woman to represent Saskatchewan in the Senate.

A teacher and businesswoman, Ms. Merchant has always been involved as a volunteer in many charitable organizations, especially in the health sector, and has played an active part in many Saskatchewan organizations. She has been a Board member of the Canadian Foundation for Social Relations since 1996, and has also worked as a volunteer with Canadian Parents for French and the Mackenzie Art Gallery.

Ms. Merchant attended the University of Saskatchewan, obtaining a B.A. in Art and Education.

Ms. Pana Papas Merchant was born in 1943. She has three children.

In the course of her career, Ms. Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais has enjoyed the distinction of being the first Francophone woman in New Brunswick to be elected to the provincial Legislative Assembly and to the federal Parliament, having represented the provincial constituency of Madawaska-South from 1987 to 1993 and the federal constituency of Madawaska-Victoria from 1993 to 1997.

In 1997, Ms. Ringuette-Maltais joined the Canada Post Corporation as Manager of the international trade development unit, taking part in a number of trade missions promoting Canadian expertise among foreign postal administrations.

Ms. Ringuette-Maltais obtained a B.A. from the University of Moncton and went on to attend Laval University, where she completed her course work toward a Master of Industrial Relations degree. She received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Ottawa in June 2000.

Ms. Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais was born in 1955. She has one daughter.