Fernand Robichaud

The Honourable Fernand Robichaud PC
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office January 26, 2001 – January 14, 2004
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien Paul Martin
Leader	Sharon Carstairs Jack Austin
Preceded by	Dan Hays
Succeeded by	Bill Rompkey
Secretary of State (Agriculture and Agri-Food, Fisheries and Oceans)
In office September 15, 1994 – June 10, 1997
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien
Minister	Ralph Goodale Brian Tobin David Dingwall (acting) Fred Mifflin
Preceded by	Gilbert Normand
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Secretary of State (Parliamentary Affairs)
In office November 4, 1993 – September 14, 1994
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien
Minister	Herb Gray
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Alfonso Gagliano
Parliamentary constituencies Canadian Senator from New Brunswick (Saint-Louis-de-Kent; 1997–2010) In office September 22, 1997 – December 2, 2014 Nominated by Jean Chrétien Appointed by Roméo LeBlanc Preceded by Joseph P. Landry Succeeded by Multi-member district Member of Parliament for Beauséjour (Westmorland—Kent; 1984–1988) In office October 25, 1993 – June 2, 1997 Preceded by Jean Chrétien Succeeded by Angela Vautour (Beauséjour—Petitcodiac) In office November 21, 1988 – September 24, 1990 Preceded by Roméo LeBlanc Succeeded by Jean Chrétien
Personal details
Born	(1939-12-02) December 2, 1939 Shippagan, New Brunswick, Canada
Political party	Independent Liberal (since 2014)
Other political affiliations	Liberal (until 2014)

Fernand Robichaud PC (born December 2, 1939) is a Canadian politician.

He was born in Shippagan, New Brunswick, and received a teaching certificate from the Moncton Technical Institute. Before entering politics, Robichaud was a teacher and businessman. He served on the municipal council for Saint-Louis-de-Kent from 1971 to 1974.

Robichaud was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1984 election representing the riding of Westmorland—Kent, New Brunswick.

In the 1988 election, he was re-elected representing Beauséjour.

In 1990, he resigned his seat in order to allow newly elected Liberal leader Jean Chrétien to enter the House of Commons through a by-election.

Robichaud served as Special Assistant to the Leader of the Opposition until returning to the House in the 1993 election. With the election of Chrétien as Prime Minister, Robichaud became Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs. In 1994, he was appointed Secretary of State for Agriculture and Agri-Food, Fisheries, and Oceans.

Robichaud did not run in the 1997 election and was appointed on Chrétien's recommendation to the Senate of Canada on September 23, 1997.

From 2001 to 2004, he was deputy government leader in the Senate. He later served as vice-chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Robichaud, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents. The Senators referred to themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they were no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.

He retired from the Senate on December 2, 2014, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.

External links

• Fernand Robichaud – Parliament of Canada biography