Louise Marguerite Renaude Lapointe, (January 3, 1912 – May 11, 2002) was a Canadian journalist and a Senator. She was among the first Canadian women to work as a professional journalist and the first French-Canadian woman to preside over the Senate.
Born in Disraeli, Quebec the daughter of Joseph-Alphonse Lapointe and Marie-Louise Poulin, she worked as a journalist in the 1940s and 1950s at Le Soleil in Quebec City. In 1959 she joined the staff of Montreal's La Presse.
A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she was appointed to the Senate in 1971 by Pierre Trudeau and served until her retirement in 1987. From September 12, 1974 until October 4, 1979, she was Speaker of the Senate. She was also Speaker pro tempore from June 9, 1982 until November 30, 1983.
In 1989, she was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Early life and family
Lapointe was born in Disraeli, in Wolfe County, Quebec. She was the eldest of three siblings (one girl, two boys), born in successive years. Her father, initially a mechanic, owned the first automobile garage in the area and had a natural talent for mechanics despite limited formal education. He was also a gifted amateur musician, playing the trumpet excellently and leading the village orchestra and band, earning the local title "Professor Lapointe". He aimed for political neutrality to maintain clients from different political sides.
Her mother was a qualified teacher who had aspirations to teach out West but remained in Disraeli. Described by Lapointe as very bright and "avant-garde", she handled the accounting for the family garage and wrote correspondence. She was politically aware, reportedly writing speeches for the local legislative deputy, and was a strong supporter of women's suffrage, although likely unable to exercise the right to vote herself due to illness before her death.