David McGuinty | |
|---|---|
 McGuinty in 2025 | |
| Minister of National Defence | |
| Assumed office May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Bill Blair |
| Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness | |
| In office March 14, 2025 – May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Himself (Public Safety) Harjit Sajjan (Emergency Preparedness) |
| Succeeded by | Gary Anandasangaree (Public Safety) Eleanor Olszewski (Emergency Management) |
| Minister of Public Safety | |
| In office December 20, 2024 – March 14, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Dominic LeBlanc |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians | |
| In office November 6, 2017 – December 20, 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Lattanzio |
| Member of Parliament forOttawa South | |
| Assumed office June 28, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | John Manley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Joseph McGuinty (1960-02-25)February 25, 1960 (age 65) |
| Party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Brigitte Bélanger |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Dalton McGuinty (brother) |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | Official website |
David Joseph McGuinty (born February 25, 1960) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has beenMinister of National Defence since May 2025. A member of theLiberal Party, McGuinty has served as themember of Parliament (MP) forOttawa South since 2004. From 2017 to 2024, McGuinty was the first chair of theNational Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), an agency which overseesCanadian intelligence services.
David McGuinty was born and raised inOttawa, Ontario in a family of twelve. His parents are politician and professorDalton McGuinty Sr. and full-time nurse Elizabeth McGuinty (née Pexton). Being the son of aFrancophone mother and anAnglophone father, McGuinty isbilingual. He earned a Diploma in Agriculture from theKemptville College of Agriculture, a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at theUniversity of Ottawa, specialized diplomas in Civil and Comparative Law atUniversité de Sherbrooke inQuebec, a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Ottawa, and finally a Master of Laws at theLondon School of Economics and Political Science.[1]
An environmental lawyer by profession, he has long been closely involved in Liberal politics. He was chosen to serve as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Prime Minister's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, a governmentthink-tank concerned withsustainable development.[1][2]
While not invited to joinPaul Martin'sCabinet, McGuinty served on the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development.[3] He also served as chairman of the Liberal Party'sNational Capital Region Caucus.[4]
On May 30, 2006, interim Liberal leaderBill Graham appointed McGuinty as the Official Opposition critic for Transport.
In the2006 Liberal leadership contest, McGuinty endorsed the candidacy ofMichael Ignatieff.
With the election ofStephane Dion as leader of the Liberal Party McGuinty became the critic for Environment in January 2007.[5]
With the appointment ofMichael Ignatieff as leader of the party, McGuinty was named Environment and Energy critic when Ignatieff announced his shadow cabinet on January 22, 2009.[3][6] In September 2010, McGuinty was promoted to the role ofOpposition House Leader.[7]
Following the resignation of Michael Ignatieff, Interim leaderBob Rae named McGuinty as theLiberal Party's Critic for Natural Resources in June 2011, a demotion from his previous position as Opposition House Leader.[8]
In 2008, following the failed leadership ofStephane Dion and his pending resignation, McGuinty was considered a potential candidate to succeed him but announced in November 2008, that he would not seek the leader and instead endorsedMichael Ignatieff, Dion later appointed him as the critic for International Trade.[9][10]
In 2011, when Ignatieff led the Liberal Party to their worst result in its history, McGuinty's name was again mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed Ignatieff.[11][12]
At the Liberal Party's biennial convention in January 2012, McGuinty announced he was considering a bid for the leadership of the party and that he would make his decision over the coming months.[13] However, on November 15, 2012, McGuinty confirmed he would not be seeking the Liberal leadership.[14]
In 2012 McGuinty was elected to head the Canadian chapter of an international alliance of lawmakers, Globe International, that presses governments to address global environment and economy challenges. He received all-party support to become the president of Globe Canada on June 12.[15]
In 2012 McGuinty was invited by theNational Democratic Institute to join their Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Ukraine.[16]
On November 20, 2012, following a meeting of the Natural Resources Committee, McGuinty stated, among other things, that Conservative MPs were "shilling" for the oil and gas industry, did not belong in the national legislature, and should "go back to Alberta."[17]
The Conservative response was critical, as exemplified by Prime MinisterStephen Harper who said: "I find it shameful, I guess not surprising, but shameful, that 30 years after theNational Energy Program, these anti-Alberta attitudes are so close to the surface in the Liberal party."[18] Interim leaderBob Rae apologized on behalf of the Liberal Party and said McGuinty was away on family business for the following week.[19]
The following day McGuinty resigned as natural resources critic. He apologized saying, "As member of Parliament for Ottawa South, I would like to unreservedly and unequivocally apologize for comments which I made with respect to parliamentary colleagues from the province of Alberta. My words in no way reflect the views of my party or leader, and I offer my apology to them as well as my colleagues from Alberta. I hold all parliamentarians in high esteem, and I regret my choice of words, as I can understand the offence they have caused."[18][20]
In early 2014, McGuinty was accused of being a "part-time" Member of Parliament by the Conservative Riding Association, who were subsequently unable to explain how they calculated McGuinty's time in the House of Commons, given that the House does not keep attendance records.[21]
In 2017, McGuinty was appointed as the first chair to the new establishedNational Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP).[22] In 2024, as the chair of NSICOP, a report was released onforeign interference in Canada's elections and society.[23] It stated that the interference came from foreign governments such asChina,India andIran.[24] McGuinty stated that he welcomed Canadians having discussions on foreign interference. However, he took issue that much of the attention was focused on the revelations that some MPs worked with foreign governments and not other aspects of interference like themedia.[25] McGuinty also stated that political party leaders should not bepartisan on the topic of foreign interference.[26]
Following a cabinet shuffle, McGuinty was appointed Minister of Public Safety in the29th Canadian Ministry on December 20, 2024.[27][28]
McGuinty is the brother of formerpremier of OntarioDalton McGuinty (born 1955) and the son of formermember of Provincial Parliament (MPP)Dalton McGuinty Sr. (1926–1990). He is married to Brigitte Bélanger and has four children.[29]
| 2025 Canadian federal election:Ottawa South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 43,388 | 65.18 | +16.37 | ||||
| Conservative | Blair Turner | 18,010 | 27.06 | +1.01 | ||||
| New Democratic | Hena Masjedee | 4,017 | 6.03 | -13.32 | ||||
| Green | Nira Dookeran | 642 | 0.96 | -1.39 | ||||
| Christian Heritage | Alex Perrier | 259 | 0.39 | – | ||||
| Rhinoceros | William Cooper | 155 | 0.23 | – | ||||
| Canadian Future | John Redins | 93 | 0.14 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 66,564 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 503 | |||||||
| Turnout | 67,067 | 69.53 | +2.82 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 96,452 | |||||||
| Liberalnotional hold | Swing | +7.98 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[30] | ||||||||
| 2021 Canadian federal election:Ottawa South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 29,038 | 48.81 | -3.51 | $90,172.30 | |||
| Conservative | Eli Tannis | 15,497 | 26.05 | +1.54 | $109,078.40 | |||
| New Democratic | Huda Mukbil | 11,514 | 19.35 | +3.36 | $30,779.59 | |||
| People's | Chylow Hall | 1,898 | 3.19 | +2.09 | $5,112.54 | |||
| Green | Les Schram | 1,401 | 2.35 | -3.22 | $1,305.45 | |||
| Communist | Larry Wasslen | 144 | 0.24 | +0.09 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 59,529 | 99.04 | – | $118,434.85 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 575 | 0.96 | +0.09 | |||||
| Turnout | 60,069 | 66.71 | -4.39 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 90,041 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -2.52 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[31] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election:Ottawa South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 34,205 | 52.32 | -7.74 | $80,576.61 | |||
| Conservative | Eli Tannis | 16,025 | 24.51 | +0.21 | $106,966.51 | |||
| New Democratic | Morgan Gay | 10,457 | 16.00 | +4.42 | none listed | |||
| Green | Les Schram | 3,645 | 5.58 | +2.66 | $3,248.53 | |||
| People's | Rodrigo André Bolaños | 717 | 1.10 | – | none listed | |||
| Independent | Ahmed Bouragba | 141 | 0.22 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Communist | Larry Wasslen | 99 | 0.15 | -0.06 | none listed | |||
| Independent | Sarmad Laith | 87 | 0.13 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 65,376 | 99.13 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 574 | 0.87 | +0.33 | |||||
| Turnout | 65,950 | 71.10 | -2.46 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 92,759 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -3.98 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[32][33] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 38,831 | 60.06 | +16.05 | $119,103.32 | |||
| Conservative | Dev Balkissoon | 15,711 | 24.30 | -8.98 | $89,467.46 | |||
| New Democratic | George Brown | 7,480 | 11.57 | -6.59 | $18,683.33 | |||
| Green | John Redins | 1,888 | 2.92 | -0.11 | $3,221.56 | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Al Gullon | 366 | 0.57 | – | – | |||
| Libertarian | Damien Wilson | 237 | 0.37 | – | $97.29 | |||
| Communist | Larry Wasslen | 136 | 0.21 | – | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 64,649 | 99.46 | $225,034.63 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 351 | 0.54 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 65,000 | 73.56 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 88,368 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +12.52 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[34] | ||||||||
| 2011 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 25,963 | 44.01 | -5.89 | – | |||
| Conservative | Elie Salibi | 19,634 | 33.28 | -0.09 | – | |||
| New Democratic | James McLaren | 10,712 | 18.16 | +9.71 | – | |||
| Green | Mick Kitor | 1,787 | 3.03 | -3.74 | – | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Al Gullon | 513 | 0.87 | -0.19 | – | |||
| Pirate | Mike Bleskie | 382 | 0.65 | n.a. | – | |||
| Total valid votes | 58,991 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 279 | 0.47 | -0.12 | |||||
| Turnout | 59,270 | 69.11% | ||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -5.80 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[35] | ||||||||
| 2008 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 29,035 | 49.90 | +5.75 | $82,793 | |||
| Conservative | Elie Salibi | 19,417 | 33.37 | -4.06 | $89,808 | |||
| New Democratic | Hijal De Sarkar | 4,920 | 8.45 | -4.78 | $5,110 | |||
| Green | Qais Ghanem | 3,939 | 6.77 | +2.03 | $20,330 | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Al Gullon | 620 | 1.06 | +0.62 | $92 | |||
| Libertarian | Jean-Serge Brisson | 244 | 0.41 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 58,175 | 100.00 | $89,843 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 346 | 0.59 | +0.11 | |||||
| Turnout | 58,521 | 66.82 | -4.89 | |||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +4.91 | ||||||
| 2006 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 27,158 | 44.15 | +0.33 | $78,559 | |||
| Conservative | Allan Cutler | 23,028 | 37.43 | +2.62 | $74,021 | |||
| New Democratic | Henri Sader | 8,138 | 13.23 | -0.41 | $30,456 | |||
| Green | John Ford | 2,913 | 4.74 | -1.00 | $2,095 | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Brad Thomson | 273 | 0.44 | -0.2 | $2,743 | |||
| Difference | 4,124 | 6.71 | -2.29 | |||||
| Rejected Ballots | 298 | 0.5 | -0.1 | |||||
| Turnout | 61,808 | 71.71 | +2.00 | |||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +2.29 | ||||||
| 2004 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | David McGuinty | 25,956 | 43.82 | -7.5 | $74,148 | |||
| Conservative | Alan Riddell | 20,622 | 34.81 | -5.3 | $57,520 | |||
| New Democratic | Monia Mazigh | 8,080 | 13.64 | +6.9 | $73,230 | |||
| Green | John Ford | 3,398 | 5.73 | n/a | $2,205 | |||
| Marijuana | John Akpata | 495 | 0.83 | -0.5 | ||||
| Progressive Canadian | Brad Thomson | 375 | 0.63 | n/a | $2,743 | |||
| Independent | Raymond Aubin | 225 | 0.37 | n/a | $988 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Saroj Bains | 79 | 0.13 | -0.1 | ||||
| Difference | 5,334 | 8.95 | -17.9 | |||||
| Rejected Ballots | 361 | 0.61 | +0.2 | |||||
| Turnout | 59,591 | 69.67 | +7.7 | |||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +2.2 | ||||||
Defence ministers of theG20 | |
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