 Carignan was appointed to the Senate on August 27, 2009, by the Prime Minister Stephen Harper.A native of Champlain, in Mauricie, Carignan is married to lawyer Brigitte Binette and has three children, Jérémie, Jean-Francis and Anne-Charlotte.He holds a law degree from the Université de Sherbrooke and a graduate degree in administrative law from the Université de Montréal.