Linda Lapointe

Lapointe has a college diploma in health sciences from the CEGEP Ahuntsic. In 1986, she received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Université de Montréal. She worked at her Father’s grocery store, Provigo Lapointe et Fille, starting in her teenage years, serving as store manager from 1988 to 1997 and as owner from 1997 until selling the store in 2006.

In addition to her career as a manager, Lapointe was treasurer and member of the Board of the Association des détaillants en alimentation du Québec (Quebec food retailers association) from 2002 to 2006. In 2013, this association has appointed her as a member of its Hall of Fame. In her community, she was president for the Regrouprement des gens d'affaires of Boisbriand from 2009 to 2015. For most of her adult life, she has been actively involved in her community, notably as organizer of Déjeuner de partage.

Lapointe was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2007 election as a member of Action démocratique du Québec in the riding of Groulx. Lapointe took office on April 12, 2007 and was named the critic for economic development and the Montreal region until 2008.^[1] She was also the assistant whip of the official opposition party.

Lapointe was defeated in the 2008 election.

She changed parties and ran for the Quebec Liberal Party in the 2012 Quebec general election and was again defeated.

After running again as MP in 2025 and winning as of April 28, 2025, she became president of the Liberal Women’s caucus. She is also an active member of two committees, being the international commerce committee as well as the ethics, deontology and access to information. She was elected as the vice-chair of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 45th Canadian Parliament.

On October 15, 2015, she was elected on the 2015 federal election as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada for the riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. She defeated NDP incumbent Laurin Liu.^[2] Shortly after her election Lapointe posted photos on her Facebook page depicting her dressed in a Halloween costume—an Asian hat and robe—which was criticized for cultural appropriation and stereotyping Chinese culture.^[3] Lapointe later apologized and removed the photos from Facebook. She was selected by Prime Minister Trudeau's cabinet to sit on two House of Commons parliamentary committees: Standing Committee of Official Languages and Standing Committee on International Trade.

As a member of this committee, she studied the Government of Canada programs designed to promote francophone immigration to francophone minority communities in Canada, to establish a new Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality (2008-2013) in partnership with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Mélanie Joly. Her responsibilities also included studying Air Canada's bilingual service and studying access to justice in both languages.

As a member of this committee, she, with the other members, directed studies and reports on various aspects of Canada’s international trade policy, such as the Softwood Lumber Agreement between Canada et United States of America, the Transpacific Partnership, and the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

She introduced a private member's bill on the credit card acceptance fees on February 25, 2016 to members of the House of Commons. The bill was named An act to amend the Payment card Networks act.^[4]