Maria Chaput
Canadian politician
title: "Maria Chaput" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1942-births", "living-people", "liberal-party-of-canada-senators", "canadian-senators-from-manitoba", "people-from-ste.-anne,-manitoba", "franco-manitoban-people", "women-members-of-the-senate-of-canada", "women-in-manitoba-politics", "21st-century-members-of-the-senate-of-canada", "21st-century-canadian-women-politicians", "members-of-the-order-of-canada", "members-of-the-order-of-manitoba"] description: "Canadian politician" topic_path: "politics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Chaput" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Canadian politician ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| honorific-prefix | The Honourable |
| name | Maria Chaput |
| honorific-suffix | |
| image | Maria Chaput.jpg |
| caption | Senator Maria Chaput |
| office | Senator from Manitoba |
| appointed | Adrienne Clarkson |
| successor | Marilou McPhedran |
| term_start | December 12, 2002 |
| term_end | March 1, 2016 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada |
| party | Liberal (until 2014) |
| Independent Liberal | |
| (2014-present) | |
| residence | Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, Manitoba |
| :: |
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable | name = Maria Chaput | honorific-suffix = | image = Maria Chaput.jpg | caption=Senator Maria Chaput | imagesize = | office = Senator from Manitoba | appointed = Adrienne Clarkson | predecessor = | successor = Marilou McPhedran | term_start = December 12, 2002 | term_end = March 1, 2016 | birth_date = | birth_place = Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = | spouse = | party = Liberal (until 2014) Independent Liberal (2014-present) | relations = | children = | residence = Sainte-Anne-des-Chênes, Manitoba | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | religion = | signature = | website = | footnotes = Maria Emma Chaput (born May 7, 1942) is a former member of the Senate of Canada representing the Senatorial Division of Manitoba. She is the first franco-Manitoban woman to be appointed to the upper house of the Parliament of Canada.
On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Chaput, to be removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents. The Senators continued to refer themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they were constitutionally no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.
Chaput announced her retirement from the Senate on February 4, 2016, effective March 1, 2016, due to kidney health issues that she had been managing for "a few years." Despite her doctor's recommendation, she held off retirement until the Liberals won the 2015 federal election saying: "I just didn't want to give my seat to Stephen Harper. That's what I told my doctor and he said, 'Well, that's your decision,' and I said 'Exactly.'" She supported Trudeau's move to a non-partisan senate appointment process.
Chaput was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022 and was made a member of the Order of Manitoba in 2025.
References
References
- (29 December 2022). "Order of Canada appointees – December 2022".
- Cudmore, James. (January 29, 2014). "Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus". CBC News.
- (January 29, 2014). "Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise". Globe and Mail.
- (February 4, 2016). "Manitoba Senator Maria Chaput resigns, says kept seat to fight Harper". CBC News.
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