David McGuinty

David Joseph McGuinty (born February 25, 1960) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has been the minister of public safety since December 2024. A member of the Liberal Party, McGuinty has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Ottawa South since 2004. He formerly served as the first chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, an agency which oversees Canadian intelligence services.

The Honourable David McGuinty PC MP
McGuinty in 2012
Minister of Public Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Dominic LeBlanc
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 for Ottawa South
Incumbent
Assumed office June 28, 2004
Preceded by	John Manley
Personal details
Born	David Joseph McGuinty (1960-02-25) February 25, 1960 (age 64) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Brigitte Bélanger
Parent	Dalton McGuinty Sr. (father)
Relatives	Dalton McGuinty (brother)
Residence(s)	Playfair Park, Ottawa
Alma mater	Kemptville College (Dipl.) University of Ottawa (BA) Université de Sherbrooke (LLB) London School of Economics and Political Science (LLM)
Profession	Businessman lawyer professor
Website	Official website

Early life

David McGuinty was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario in a family of twelve. His parents are politician and professor Dalton McGuinty Sr. and full-time nurse Elizabeth McGuinty (née Pexton). Being the son of a Francophone mother and an Anglophone father, McGuinty is bilingual. He earned a Diploma in Agriculture from the Kemptville College of Agriculture, a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University of Ottawa, specialized diplomas in Civil and Comparative Law at Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Ottawa, and finally a Master of Laws at the London 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 government think-tank concerned with sustainable development.^[1][2]

Political career

Elections

Main article: Ottawa South

In government (2004-2006)

While not invited to join Paul Martin's Cabinet, 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's National Capital Region Caucus.^[4]

In opposition (2006-2015)

McGuinty in 2008

On May 30, 2006, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham appointed McGuinty as the Official Opposition critic for Transport.

In the 2006 Liberal leadership contest, McGuinty endorsed the candidacy of Michael Ignatieff.

With the election of Stephane Dion as leader of the Liberal Party McGuinty became the critic for Environment in January 2007.^[5]

With the appointment of Michael 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 of Opposition House Leader.^[7]

Following the resignation of Michael Ignatieff, Interim leader Bob Rae named McGuinty as the Liberal Party's Critic for Natural Resources in June 2011, a demotion from his previous position as Opposition House Leader.^[8]

Leadership aspirations

In 2008, following the failed leadership of Stephane 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 endorsed Michael 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]

International work

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 the National Democratic Institute to join their Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Ukraine.^[16]

Oil and gas criticism

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 Minister Stephen Harper who said: "I find it shameful, I guess not surprising, but shameful, that 30 years after the National Energy Program, these anti-Alberta attitudes are so close to the surface in the Liberal party."^[18] Interim leader Bob 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]

Attendance record

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]

Back in government (2015-)

NSICOP Chair

In 2017, McGuinty was appointed as the first chair to the new established National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP).^[22] In 2024, as the chair of NSICOP, a report was released on foreign interference in Canada's elections and society.^[23] It stated that the interference came from foreign governments such as China, India and Iran.^[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 the media.^[25] McGuinty, also stated that political party leaders should not be partisan on the topic of foreign interference.^[26]

Minister of Public Safety

Following a cabinet shuffle, McGuinty was appointed Minister of Public Safety in the 29th Canadian Ministry on December 20, 2024.^[27][28]

Personal life

McGuinty is the brother of former premier of Ontario Dalton McGuinty (born 1955) and the son of former member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Dalton McGuinty Sr. (1926–1990). He is married to Brigitte Bélanger and has four children.^[29]

Electoral record

v t e 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
	Liberal hold		Swing		-2.52
Source: Elections Canada[30]

v t e 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
	Liberal hold		Swing		-3.98
Source: Elections Canada[31][32]

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
	Liberal hold		Swing		+12.52
Source: Elections Canada[33]

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%
	Liberal hold		Swing		-5.80
Source: Elections Canada[34]

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
	Liberal hold		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
	Liberal hold		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
	Liberal hold		Swing		+2.2

References

1. "David McGuinty Biography". Liberal Party of Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
2. "Interactive Case Studeies in Sustainable Community Development". Community Research Connections. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
3. "Parliamentary Profile". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
4. "David McGuinty Biography". David McGuinty Official Website. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
5. "Dion names mix of old and new to shadow cabinet". Canada.com. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
6. "Ignatieff streamlines shadow cabinet". The Windsor Star. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
7. Taber, Jane (September 7, 2010). "Liberals unleash David McGuinty on John Baird". Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
8. Payton, Laura (June 1, 2011). "Liberals announce critic roles". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
9. "'This party needs to change'". The Globe and Mail. November 13, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
10. "Liberal shadow cabinet targets economic crisis". Canada.com. November 15, 2008. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
11. Press, Jordan (May 3, 2011). "Filling Ignatieff's leadership shoes: Who will step up to head the Liberal party?". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
12. De Souza, Mike (May 4, 2011). "Next up for Liberals: rebuilding". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. Postmedia News. p. A3. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
13. Fitzpatrick, Meagan (January 14, 2012). "David McGuinty considers leadership run at convention". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
14. "First Dalton Now David McGuinty takes pass on federal Liberal leadership". The Globe and Mail. November 19, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
15. "Faculty of Law | Common Law Section - Alumnus David McGuinty ( 86) Elected President of Globe Canada". Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
16. "McGuinty to help assess Ukrainian national election". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
17. "Ontario Lib MP says Alberta Tories' views don't belong in parliament". Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
18. "MP McGuinty drops critic role over 'go back to Alberta' gibe". Cbc.ca. November 17, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
19. "Rae forced to apologize after David McGuinty says Alberta MP's should "go home"". November 21, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
20. "McGuinty resigns as critic". Maclean's. November 21, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
21. "David McGuinty rejects claim he's a part-time MP". Ottawa Citizen. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
22. "Prime Minister announces new National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians". Prime Minister of Canada. November 6, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
23. "NSICOP's report on foreign interference in Canada's democratic processes and institutions tabled in Parliament June 3, 2024". National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
24. "Some Canadian politicians are 'wittingly' participating in foreign interference: watchdog - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
25. "Canadian media a target for foreign interference, says national security committee chair". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 12, 2024.
26. "NSICOP chair urges party leaders to 'park partisanship at the door' when talking foreign interference". www.ipolitics.ca. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
27. Tasker, John Paul (December 19, 2024). "McGuinty and Erskine-Smith among those being named to Trudeau's cabinet in Friday shuffle: sources".
28. Tumilty, Ryan (December 24, 2024). "Justin Trudeau to make Toronto MP Nate Erskine-Smith housing minister, Ottawa MP goes to public safety". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
29. "Ottawa South Riding Profile 2004". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
30. "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
31. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
32. "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
33. Elections Canada
34. "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts".

External links

• David McGuinty's MP Website
• David McGuinty – Parliament of Canada biography