Christine Carla Kangaloo was born in San Fernando on December 1, 1961, to Carlyle and Barbara Kangaloo. She is the fifth of their seven children.
Ms. Kangaloo attended the Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary School; St. Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando; and the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine and Cave Hill Campuses). She qualified with Honours in Law from the University of the West Indies in 1983. In 1985, she obtained her Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School and was admitted to the practice of law that year.
From 1985 to 1992 Ms. Kangaloo worked with her father, Carlyle, in his law practice.
In 1992, Ms. Kangaloo entered the service of the Judiciary as an Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court. She served in that capacity for 4 years, until 1996 when, following her father’s untimely passing, she returned to private practice to wrap up his practice. In 1998, Ms. Kangaloo joined an established law firm in San Fernando.
Ms. Kangaloo commenced Parliamentary service in 2001 when, in that year, she was appointed an Opposition Senator. She was appointed Vice President of the Senate between January to August 2002; a Government Senator and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister between 2002 to 2005; Minister of Legal Affairs between 2005 to 2007; and Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education between 2007 and 2010. Ms. Kangaloo was also the Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Pointe-a-Pierre between 2007 and 2010.
In 2015, Ms. Kangaloo was elected to the position of President of the Senate of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago – a position in which she served continuously until January of 2023. As President of the Senate, Ms. Kangaloo acted as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on thirty-three (33) occasions.
Ms. Kangaloo was the first person who served as Vice President of the Senate, to become the President of the Senate. Similarly, Ms. Kangaloo is also the first person who served as President of the Senate, to become the President-Elect of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
In Ms. Kangaloo’s first Ministerial position, as Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Social Services Delivery, Ms. Kangaloo acquired an in-depth knowledge and awareness of the needs of vulnerable, disenfranchised, marginalized and disadvantaged persons, and sought to become a voice for these persons. In this Ministerial position, Ms. Kangaloo also interacted with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in delivering social services to these persons, and acquired in-depth knowledge of the infrastructure for the delivery of services to the public.
In Ms. Kangaloo’s second Ministerial position, as Minister of Legal Affairs, Ms. Kangaloo oversaw the operations of the Consumer Affairs Division which was responsible for consumer protection and advocacy, and the heightening of awareness by consumers of their rights. As Minister of Legal Affairs, Ms. Kangaloo sought to become a voice for consumers and to provide them with information (including prices of consumer items) to enable them to make informed choices and to empower them as consumers.
In Ms. Kangaloo’s third Ministerial position, as Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Ms. Kangaloo was responsible for developing and implementing training programmes for the nation’s youth (among others). She particularly delighted in seeing the impact of these programmes on the lives and employment prospects of young people.
As an elected Member of Parliament, Ms. Kangaloo assisted in addressing the everyday needs of constituents – the need for water, public transportation, schooling, medical care, employment – and for simply just listening to her constituents’ challenges and problems, and helping to solve them. As an elected Member of Parliament, Ms. Kangaloo acquired an appreciation for the unvarnished reality of daily living of her constituents and was an advocate for their upliftment and self-articulation.
Overall – as an Assistant Registrar in the Judiciary; an Opposition Senator; a Government Senator; an elected Member of Parliament; a Member of Cabinet; a Parliamentary Presiding Officer; and as Acting President of Trinidad and Tobago – and therefore, by reason of her long and varied career in multiple incarnations of public service, Ms. Kangaloo has acquired an acute, a singular and a comprehensive appreciation of the system and the mechanics of government, of public service, and of the needs of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
Ms. Kangaloo has been married for twenty-four (24) years. She is a cancer-survivor.
