Renée Dupuis (born January 17, 1949) is a Canadian lawyer and a retired

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

. Dupuis specialized in Canadian administrative law,

Human rights law International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, ag ...

, and

Canadian Indigenous law Indigenous law in Canada refers to the legal traditions, customs, and practices of Indigenous peoples and groups. Canadian aboriginal law is different from Indigenous Law. Canadian Aboriginal law provides certain constitutionally recognized rights ...

. She was chosen for appointment to the Senate on November 2, 2016, by Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

. Dupuis has been a legal advisor and consultant for

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

organizations in negotiating tripartite comprehensive claims and in constitutional negotiations. She chaired the Indian Specific Claims Commission, a federal commission of inquiry, and the Barreau du Québec's committee on the rights of Aboriginal peoples. She was appointed the vice-president of the Commission on Human Rights and Youth Rights of Quebec in 2011, was a member of the Canadian Human Rights Act Review Panel and served as a commissioner with the

Canadian Human Rights Commission The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) was established in 1977 by the Government of Canada. It is empowered under the '' Canadian Human Rights Act'' to investigate and to try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the ...

. In 2001, she won the

Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction The Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in French. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, se ...

in 2001 for her book “Justice for Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.”

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* 1949 births Canadian senators from Quebec Women members of the Senate of Canada Independent Canadian senators Lawyers in Quebec Living people 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century Canadian women politicians Independent Senators Group Governor General's Award–winning non-fiction writers Université Laval Faculté de droit alumni {{Quebec-senator-stub