Camille Robinson-Regis

Camille Robinson-Regis
Camille Robinson-Regis
Minister of Social Development and Family Services
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 30 December 2019
President	Paula-Mae Weekes
Prime Minister	Keith Rowley
Minister of Planning and Development
	In office; 11 September 2015 – 30 December 2019
Prime Minister	Keith Rowley
Trinidadian High Commissioner to Canada
	In office; 2007–2010
Prime Minister	Patrick Manning
Minister of Planning and Development
	In office; 10 November 2003 – 7 November 2007
Prime Minister	Patrick Manning
Minister of Legal Affairs
	In office; 26 December 2001 – 9 November 2003
Prime Minister	Patrick Manning
Minister of Consumer Affairs
	In office; 25 January 1994 – 6 October 1995
Prime Minister	Patrick Manning
Minister of Information
	In office; 9 January 1992 – 24 January 1994
Prime Minister	Patrick Manning
Member of Parliament; for Arouca/Maloney
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 7 September 2015
Preceded by	Alicia Hospedales
Personal details
Political party	People's National Movement
Education	Bishop Anstey High School
Alma mater	University of the West Indies; Norman Manley Law School

Camille Robinson-Regis is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer and politician, representing the People's National Movement. She was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for Arouca South in 1992 and is the current Member of Parliament for Arouca/Maloney. She is the Minister of Planning and Development, the Lady Vice-Chairman of the People's National Movement, and the Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives.^[1]^[2]

Early life

Robinson-Regis attended Bishop Anstey High School before studying law at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine.^[1] She holds a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica.^[3] She worked as corporate secretary at the National Flour Mills and was admitted to the bar of Trinidad and Tobago in 1985.^[1]^[3]

Political career

Robinson-Regis is a member of the People's National Movement (PNM) and was appointed to the Senate in 1992.^[1] She was appointed Minister of Information on 9 January that year, becoming the youngest senator to be appointed to the cabinet.^[1]^[3] She became Minister of Consumer Affairs on 25 January 1994, a position she held until 6 October 1995. Robinson-Regis was elected to the House of Representatives for the constituency of Arouca South on 27 November 1995, a seat she held until 2007. The PNM was returned to government in December 2001 and Robinson-Regis was appointed Minister of Legal Affairs on 26 December. She became Minister of Planning and Development on 10 November 2003 and held that role until 7 November 2007.^[1]

From 2007 to 2010, Robinson-Regis served as Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner to Canada.^[3] The PNM was in opposition after 2010 and was appointed a temporary senator for the party on 7 February 2012. She became a full senator on 10 December 2013 and remained in the senate until 17 June 2015. She was returned to the House of Representatives for the Arouca/Maloney constituency in the 7 September 2015 general election. Robinson-Regis was appointed Minister of Planning and Development on 11 September 2015.^[1] She has been governor of the Caribbean Development Bank since 1 January 2016.^[4] She was appointed Minister of Social Development and Family Services on 30 December 2019.^[5]

Controversy

Robinson-Regis was accused of using racist rhetoric against Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians. In response to accusations made by the opposition party of her party, the PNM, running a pedophile ring, Robinson-Regis at a meeting in June 2022 was accused of using the Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar's full name "Kamla Susheila Persad-Bissessar" as a way of mocking her ethnic name in an attempt to race-bait, and ridicule and mock Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians to take attention away from the accusations.^[6]^[7]^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, MP". Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ Ghouralal, Darlisa (28 May 2020). "Camille returns as Arouca/Maloney candidate". Loop News. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis". Ministry of Planning and Development. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ "Camille Robinson-Regis: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^ Douglas, Sean (1 January 2020). "Rowley reshuffles his deck". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
^ "UNC Women: Camille must apologise for 'racial attack'". 7 June 2022.
^ "Leave My Name Alone!". 4 June 2022.
^ https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2022/06/08/ridiculing-ethnic-names-is-offensive/ ^{[bare URL]}

[gov-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, MP". Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 25 November 2017.

[2] Ghouralal, Darlisa (28 May 2020). "Camille returns as Arouca/Maloney candidate". Loop News. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

[plan-3] "The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis". Ministry of Planning and Development. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

[4] "Camille Robinson-Regis: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 November 2017.

[5] Douglas, Sean (1 January 2020). "Rowley reshuffles his deck". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 20 May 2020.

[6] "UNC Women: Camille must apologise for 'racial attack'". 7 June 2022.

[7] "Leave My Name Alone!". 4 June 2022.

[8] ttps://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2022/06/08/ridiculing-ethnic-names-is-offensive/ ^{[bare URL]}

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