Claude Carignan PC (born December 4, 1964) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was leader of the Conservative Party in the Senate of Canada, first as Leader of the Government in the Senate from 2013 to 2015 and then as Senate Opposition Leader from 2015 until 2017.

Claude Carignan
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office
August 20, 2013 – November 3, 2015
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
DeputyYonah Martin
WhipElizabeth Marshall
Preceded byMarjory LeBreton
Succeeded byPeter Harder (as Representative of the Government in the Senate)
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office
November 4, 2015 – March 31, 2017
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
DeputyYonah Martin
WhipDon Plett
Preceded byJim Cowan
Succeeded byLarry Smith
Canadian Senator
from Mille Isles
Assumed office
August 27, 2009
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byMichaëlle Jean
Preceded byMichel Biron
Personal details
Born (1964-12-04) December 4, 1964 (age 59)
Champlain, Quebec, Canada
Political partyConservative
SpouseBrigitte Binette
Children3
Residence(s)Mille Isles, Quebec
Alma materUniversity of Sherbrooke, University of Montreal
ProfessionLawyer

Carignan was appointed to the Senate on August 27, 2009, by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[1]

Background

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A native of Champlain, in Mauricie, Carignan is married to lawyer Brigitte Binette and has three children, Jérémie, Jean-Francis and Anne-Charlotte. He holds a law degree from the Université de Sherbrooke and a graduate degree in administrative law from the Université de Montréal. Carignan has worked as a lawyer since his admission to the Quebec Bar in 1988, specializing in civil litigation, labour relations, and health and social services law. He is coauthor of Loi sur les décrets de convention collective annotée, published by Wilson & Lafleur in 1990.[2]

While practicing, Carignan also taught labour law administration at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law and at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He also taught at the École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP).

Political and public service career

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In March 1994, Carignan was a founding member of the Action démocratique du Québec and active supporter until 2003. He acted as legislative counsel for the ADQ a number of times.

Carignan was elected mayor of Saint-Eustache in November 2000 a position he held until August 29, 2009, when he was called to the Senate of Canada.

After serving as chair of its justice and public safety commission, he became second vice-president of the Union des municipalités du Québec.[3] In April 2008, he was appointed president of the Conseil sur les services policiers du Québec,[4] an advisory body created to advise the Quebec Minister of Public Security on all policing matters. With his public safety expertise, Carignan went on to moderate and chair several seminars and workshops at a number of national conferences and symposia. From 2007 to 2009, he was president of the Centre for Expertise and Research on Infrastructures in Urban Areas (CERIU).

Carignan also played an active role in several committees and commissions in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) and served as vice-warden of the Deux-Montagnes MRC and on the Conférence régionale des élus executive council. From 2005 to 2009, he was vice-president of both the Conseil intermunicipal de transport des Laurentides and the Association des Conseils intermunicipaux de transport du Québec.

Carignan has helped promote numerous charitable causes, sat on the boards of several social agencies in his region and created the Fondation Élite Saint-Eustache, which helps talented young people in his community.

He ran for the Conservatives in the 2008 federal election in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

Senate career

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Since his appointment to the Senate in 2009, Carignan has served on the following committees:

  • Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
  • Steering Committee of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
  • Standing Senate Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
  • Standing Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament

In May 2011, Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate, appointed him Deputy Leader of the Government. In this role, Senator Carignan supports the Leader of the Government in managing the government's priorities in the Upper House. He also plays a key role in ensuring that parliamentary rules are followed during Senate debates, as well as assisting his Senate colleagues with any questions on parliamentary issues.

In September 2013, after two years to serve as deputy Leader of the Government, Carignan was named Government Leader in the Senate on August 30, 2013 upon the resignation of his predecessor, Marjory LeBreton.[5] He was made a member of the Privy Council of Canada, though not of the Cabinet.[1] However, from September 2013 to November 2015, he was a member of the Cabinet Committee on Operations.[6] This Committee provides the day-to-day coordination of the government's agenda, including issues management, legislation and house planning, and communications.

As a result of the 2015 federal election in which the Conservative government was defeated, Carignan became the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. He stepped down from his role as Conservative Leader in the Senate in 2017.

Electoral record

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2008 Canadian federal election: Rivière-des-Mille-Îles
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Bloc Québécois Luc Desnoyers 23,216 45.69 . $51,436
Conservative Claude Carignan 9,911 19.50 . $81,552
Liberal Denis Joannette 8,823 17.36 . $15,359
New Democratic Normand Beaudet 6,741 13.26 . $1,453
Green Marie Martine Bédard 2,134 4.20 . $3,054
Total valid votes 50,825 100.00
Total rejected ballots 905
Turnout 51,730 67.18
Electors on the lists 77,006
Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada.

References

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  1. ^ "Sénateurs actuels". Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Niverville, Patrick de, and Claude Carignan. Loi annotée sur les décrets de convention collective. Montréal: Wilson & Lafleur, 1990. Print". ocul-yor.primo.exlibrisgroup.com. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Comité exécutif à l'UMQ - Robert Coulombe, maire de Maniwaki, est réélu à la présidence de l'Union". www.newswire.ca. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Nomination du maire de St-Eustache". Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Harper names Claude Carignan Senate leader to replace LeBreton". CBC News - Politics. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  6. ^ "ParlInfo Has Moved".
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