Marie-Paule Charette-Poulin (born June 21, 1945) was a Canadian politician. She represented Northern Ontario in the Senate of Canada from September 1995 until her resignation in April 2015. She was the president of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2006 to 2008. She is married to international portrait artist Bernard Poulin.

Early life and education

Born Marie-Paule Charette in Sudbury, Ontario, on June 21, 1945, she was raised in Sudbury, only girl with four brothers. She attended l'Académie Sainte-Marie (a boarding school) in Hailybury for five years where she was first of her class, played basketball and tennis and elected Carnaval Queen and most popular student.

She continued her education at Laurentian University, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1966, and in 1969, at the University of Montreal, obtained her Master's of Social Science. In June 1995, Laurentian awarded her an honorary Doctor of Laws. Charette-Poulin received an LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 2007 and is currently (2026) enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Saint-Paul in Ottawa.

Professional life

In the earlier part of her career path, Charette-Poulin worked as a University lecturer then at Radio Canada as a researcher and eventually a radio producer. In 1978, she was asked to become the founding director of the Corporation’s Northern Ontario French Services which included launching the Sudbury radio station CBON along with the required establishment of 30 re-transmitter antennae throughout northern Ontario. This successful foray into regional broadcasting eventually led Marie to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s head office. As a Vice President, she held various portfolios : Vice President of the French Radio and Television Broadcasting Operations, then Secretary General to the Board, then Human Resources and Industrial Relations VP.

Marie-Paule left the CBC-Radio Canada fold to become Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet at the Privy Council Office. There, she oversaw all government communications and consultations. She was then appointed the founding CEO of a federal, quasi-judicial agency for self-employed Canadians.

Political career

In September 1995, following the death of Dr. Jean Noël Desmarais of Sudbury, Charette-Poulin was called to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. She represented Northern Ontario for the Liberal Party of Canada from 1995 to2015.

Charette-Poulin was a member of the Senate Committee on National Finance, a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, of the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages, of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, of the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence and of the Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. She chaired the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications and as Chair of the Communications Subcommittee she led the review on Canada's national and international position in communications and telecommunications - just as the internet was beginning.

Charette-Poulin was the first woman to chair the Senate Liberal Caucus and the first senator to chair the Northern Ontario Liberal Caucus. From December 2006 to April 2008, she served as President of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Senator Charette-Poulin's professional achievements and participation on the boards of various organizations have earned her national and international recognition over the years, including the "Prix Marcel Blouin" for the best morning radio program in Canada in 1983, the "Médaille du Conseil de la vie française" in 1988, the "Ordre de la Pléaide" in 1995, an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Laurentian University in 1995, the Award of Distinction of Greater Sudbury in 2001, the Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, an Hommage by the Fondation franco-ontarienne in 2002, the insignia of "Officier de l'Ordre national de la Légion d'Honneur de la France" in 2003, the insignia of the Order of St. John in 2004, "Trille de Platine" in 2008, Personnalité Richelieu International in 2008, the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, an Honourary Degree from Collège Boréal in 2013 and the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan in 2024.

Charette-Poulin has served on the Bell Globemedia board as well as on several hospital, university and college boards, chambers of commerce, arts and culture boards, and United Ways. She was a member of the Implementation Committee for Bill 8 in Ontario and a founding director of La Cité collégiale and the Regroupement des gens d'affaires (RGA). She was the first woman to chair the RGA. She sat on the board of Governors of the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society as well as the Board of the Baxter & Alma Ricard Foundation for 22 years. She was the Canadian president of the Fédération Canada-France, and Vice-Chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group. Marie was also a member of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

She currently sits on the Board of Advisors of the program "Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year" as well as that of "Whole Picture Health".

Charette-Poulin ran for the presidency of the Liberal Party of Canada at the party's leadership convention in 2006. She defeated former MP Tony Ianno and party activist Bobbi Ethier to win the election. She was the second woman and first francophone woman to hold this position.

Charette-Poulin suffered a mild stroke in April 2008. Although she was expected to make a full recovery, she said that she would be stepping down immediately as Liberal Party President, saying that she was now unable to put in the many hours a week that the party job demanded.

In February 2009, the only Canadian woman that Obama kissed on his first foreign visit was Senator Charette-Poulin. She told him that she was the "future mother-in-law of Jean-Michel Picher." Obama replied that "Jean-Michel is one of my favourite people," then kissed her on both cheeks.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced that all Liberal Senators, including Charette-Poulin, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as independents. According to Senate Opposition leader James Cowan, the Senators would still refer to themselves as Liberals even if they were no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.

Charette-Poulin resigned from the Senate on April 17, 2015 for health reasons.

In 2017, Marie joined the Institute on Governance (IOG) as a special advisor for Parliamentarians in Iraq. In 2020, she accepted to lead the Canadian Artists Network (CAN). In 2023, she joined the University of Saint-Paul as Parliamentarian in Residence where she is still working with the leadership team, Deans, the Aboriginal Centre and students.

In 2023, the journalist Fred Langan pens Marie's biography, entitled : "She Dared To Succeed". It was published by the University of Ottawa Press. The Honourable John Manley PC CC wrote the forward, in which he states: "In my experience, when things get tough, you definitely want Marie on your team."

Personal life

Charette-Poulin is married to international portrait artist Bernard A. Poulin. They have two adult daughters, Elaine and Valerie.

See also

  • List of Ontario senators

References

  • Senator Marie Charette-Poulin