View source for Philip J. Pierre

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Saint Lucia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Philip J. Pierre
| honorific-suffix    = [[House of Assembly of Saint Lucia|MP]]
| image               = Philip J Pierre Christmas 2020 (cropped).png
| order               = 9th
| office              = Prime Minister of Saint Lucia
| monarch             = [[Elizabeth II]]<br>[[Charles III]]
| governor-general    = [[Neville Cenac]]<br>[[Errol Charles]] (acting)
| deputy              = [[Ernest Hilaire]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. Ernest Hilaire appointed Deputy Prime Minister for St Lucia |url=https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/news/dr-ernest-hilaire-appointed-deputy-prime-minister-for-st-lucia/ |website=CNW Network |date=9 January 2022}}</ref>
| term_start          = 28 July 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=Philip J Pierre to take oath as Prime Minister of St Lucia today |url=https://wicnews.com/caribbean/philip-j-pierre-take-oath-prime-minister-st-lucia-today-053836334/ |website=WIC NEWS |date=28 July 2021 |access-date=28 July 2021}}</ref>
| term_end            = 
| predecessor         = [[Allen Chastanet]]
| successor           = 
| office2             = [[Leader of the Opposition (Saint Lucia)|Leader of the Opposition]] of [[Saint Lucia]]
| term_start2         = 18 June 2016
| term_end2           = 28 July 2021
| predecessor2        = [[Kenny Anthony]]
| successor2          = [[Allen Chastanet]]
| office3             = [[House of Assembly of Saint Lucia|Member of Parliament]]<br />for Castries East
| term_start3         = 24 May 1997
| predecessor3        = Romanus Lansiquot<ref name=":2"/>
| birth_name          = Philip Joseph Pierre
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1954|09|18|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Saint Lucia]], [[British Windward Islands]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Saint Lucia Labour Party]]
| spouse              = 
| alma_mater          = University of the West Indies
| office4             = [[Minister of Finance of Saint Lucia|Minister for Finance, Economic Development and the Youth Economy]]
| term_start4         = 5 August 2021 <ref>{{cite web |title=Cabinet of Ministers revealed at swearing-in ceremony |url=https://stlucia.loopnews.com/content/cabinet-ministers-revealed-swearing-ceremony |website=St. Lucia Times |access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref>
| caption             = Pierre in 2020
}}
'''Philip Joseph Pierre'''<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=28 July 2021|title=Swearing In Ceremony of Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre (July 28, 2021)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE_RfRBAKOI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/pE_RfRBAKOI |archive-date=2021-12-22|url-status=live|website=Saint Lucia Government|via=YouTube }}{{cbignore}}</ref> (born 18 September<ref>{{cite web |date=18 September 2022 |title=Wishing our Prime Minister and Political Leader Hon. Philip J. Pierre a happy birthday! |url=https://www.facebook.com/saintlucialabourparty/posts/pfbid02RoCpD5Aa22i7JP2DQ6anefY4xg13KGUUwD2Mm3fHYPSMKQmvToK49UvXEmxVZ39rl |access-date=19 September 2022 |publisher=Saint Lucia Labour Party}}</ref> 1954)<ref name=":4" /> is a [[Saint Lucia]]n politician currently serving as the [[List of prime ministers of Saint Lucia|Prime Minister]] of [[Saint Lucia]] since 28 July 2021. Pierre serves as the [[Minister of Finance of Saint Lucia|Minister for Finance, Economic Development and the Youth Economy]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cabinet of Ministers revealed at swearing-in ceremony {{!}} Loop St. Lucia|url=https://stlucia.loopnews.com/content/cabinet-ministers-revealed-swearing-ceremony|access-date=2021-08-05|website=Loop News|language=en}}</ref> He is the Leader of the [[Saint Lucia Labour Party]] since 18 June 2016. He has represented the [[Castries]] East constituency in the [[House of Assembly of Saint Lucia|House of Assembly]] since 1997.<ref name="Loop 20 June">{{cite web |url=http://www.loopslu.com/content/hon-philip-j-pierre-leader-slp-5 |title=Hon. Philip J Pierre is leader of the SLP |publisher=Loop News |date=20 June 2016 |accessdate=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806180735/http://www.loopslu.com/content/hon-philip-j-pierre-leader-slp-5 |archive-date=6 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/elections2001/castries_east.htm|title=Castries East – Electoral District D|accessdate=27 October 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614062126/http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/elections2001/castries_east.htm|archivedate=14 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/elections2001/list_of_elected_representatives.htm|title=List of Elected Representatives|accessdate=27 October 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614062240/http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/elections2001/list_of_elected_representatives.htm|archivedate=14 June 2011}}</ref>

Pierre previously served as Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and International Financial Services from 1997 to 2000; [[Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Lucia|Deputy Prime Minister]] and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport from 2011 to 2016; and as [[Leader of the Opposition (Saint Lucia)|Leader of the Opposition]] from 2016 to 2021.

== Early life ==
Pierre's mother Evelyn was a schoolteacher, and his father Auguste<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2012|title=Hon. Philip J. Pierre|url=https://archive.stlucia.gov.lc/govfolks/hon_philip_j_pierre.htm|access-date=27 July 2021|website=archive.stlucia.gov.lc}}</ref> was a policeman.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=8 August 2014|title=Philip J Pierre- Building a New St. Lucia, One Person at a Time|url=https://kreolmagazine.com/culture/features/philip-j-pierre-building-a-new-st-lucia-one-person-at-a-time/|access-date=27 July 2021|website=International Magazine Kreol|language=en-US}}</ref>  He studied at [[Saint Mary's College (Saint Lucia)|Saint Mary's College]], then completed a [[BA (Hons)|BA (hons)]] in accounts and a [[Master of Business Administration]] from the [[University of the West Indies]].  After graduation, he taught at Saint Mary's College<ref name=":1" /> and worked as a trainee manager at J.Q. Charles Ltd.  Pierre then entered the finance industry: he worked as an audit clerk at [[Coopers & Lybrand]] and [[Pannell Kerr Forster]], and as a financial controller at Stanthur Co. Ltd.<ref name=":0" />

From 1985 to 1994, Pierre was the Director of the National Research and Development Corporation.<ref name=":1" />  He was also Chief Executive of his own [[Management consulting|management consultancy]] firm, Philip J. Pierre Business Services Ltd.,<ref name=":0" /> from 1990 to 1997.<ref name=":1" />

== Politics ==
Pierre joined the [[Saint Lucia Labour Party]] (SLP) in 1985, and served as the party treasurer from 1986 to 1992.<ref name=":0" />  In [[1992 Saint Lucian general election|1992]], he contested the general elections for the first time in Castries East, but did not win.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Elections 40 Years and Beyond|publisher=Saint Lucia Electoral Department|year=2021|location=Castries|chapter=Constituency: Castries East – D|chapter-url=https://www.sluelectoral.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/D-elections-40-years-and-beyond-Castries-East.pdf}}</ref>  After serving as the SLP chairman from 1992 to 1996,<ref name=":0" /> Pierre ran again in [[1997 Saint Lucian general election|1997]] and won.  In the resulting SLP government led by [[Kenny Anthony]],<ref name=":1" /> Pierre served as Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and International Financial Services from 1997 to 2000.<ref name=":0" />

Pierre was re-elected to the [[House of Assembly of Saint Lucia|House of Assembly]] from Castries East in the general elections of [[2001 Saint Lucian general election|2001]], [[2006 Saint Lucian general election|2006]], and [[2011 Saint Lucian general election|2011]].<ref name=":2" /> In December 2011, he was sworn in as [[Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Lucia|Deputy Prime Minister]] and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services, and Transportation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 December 2011|title=Deputy PM sworn in |first1=Winston |last1=Springer |url=http://www.htsstlucia.org/2011_News/December/HTS_News_December_02nd_2011.htm|url-status=dead|publisher=HTS Channel 4|accessdate=3 December 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205221501/http://www.htsstlucia.org/2011_News/December/HTS_News_December_02nd_2011.htm|archivedate=5 December 2011}}</ref> Pierre retained his seat in the [[2016 Saint Lucian general election|2016 general election]],<ref name=":2" /> but the SLP lost the election.  Kenny Anthony resigned as party leader; Pierre was then elected as his successor on 18 June 2016.  He also became the [[Leader of the Opposition (Saint Lucia)|Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition]].<ref name="Loop 20 June" /><ref>{{Cite press release|title=Pierre confirmed as SLP Leader|publisher=Saint Lucia Labour Party|date=21 June 2016|url=http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/pierre-confirmed-as-slp-and-opposition-leader/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622134856/http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/pierre-confirmed-as-slp-and-opposition-leader/|archive-date=22 June 2016}}</ref>

Pierre is a member of the [[Commonwealth Parliamentary Association]] (CPA).  He also joined the Assembly of [[Caribbean Community]] Parliamentarians, attending its inaugural 1996 meeting in [[Barbados]].<ref name=":0" />

Pierre led the SLP in the [[2021 Saint Lucian general election|2021 general election]], where the party won a majority of seats.  He was sworn in as [[Prime Minister of Saint Lucia]] on 28 July 2021.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=CMC |date=28 July 2021 |title=Pierre to be sworn in as new St Lucia Prime Minister |url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latest-news/pierre-to-be-sworn-in-as-new-st-lucia-prime-minister/ |access-date=28 July 2021 |website=Jamaica Observer}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par}}
{{s-bef|before=Romanus Lansiquot}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for Castries East|years=1994–present}}
{{s-inc}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gale Rigobert]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Leader of the Opposition (Saint Lucia)|Leader of the Opposition]]|years=2016–2021}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Allen Chastanet]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Allen Chastanet]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia|Prime Minister of Saint Lucia]]|years=2021–present}}
{{s-inc}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Kenny Anthony]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the [[Saint Lucia Labour Party]]|years=2016–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}

{{commons category}}
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{{Prime ministers of Saint Lucia}}
{{Current ALBA leaders|state=}}
{{Commonwealth heads of government}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Philip}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Saint Lucia Labour Party politicians]]
[[Category:University of the West Indies alumni]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Economy ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Finance ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Infrastructure ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Postal services ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Transport ministers of Saint Lucia]]
[[Category:Youth ministers of Saint Lucia]]