Career
By career, he was a soldier for the Canadian Forces. Born in Richmond, British Columbia, Ringma served in the Canadian Forces, serving during the Korean War. His military experiences in of Korea, particularly with the Mobile Laundry and Bath Unit (MLBU), are recounted in his book MLBU Full Monty in of Korea ().
He was elected in the Nanaimo—Cowichan electoral district for the Reform Party in the 1993 general election.
In 1996, he attracted controversy when he stated in a newspaper interview that store owners should be free to move gays and blacks "to the back of the shop", or even to fire them, if the presence of that individual offended a bigoted customer. Ringma was suspended from the Reform Party caucus for several months after fellow Member of Parliament January Brown spoke out against the prominence of extremist views in the party (although Brown herself was also suspended)
Ringma left politics after serving in the 35th Canadian Parliament and retired to Thetis Island, British Columbia.
He died on 31 March 2014, aged 85.