Steven MacKinnon

Steven Garrett MacKinnon (born September 28, 1966) is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Gatineau since 2015. A member of the Liberal Party, MacKinnon is the Government House Leader.

The Honourable Steven MacKinnon PC MP
MacKinnon in 2024
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada
Incumbent
Assumed office May 13, 2025
Prime Minister	Mark Carney
Preceded by	Arielle Kayabaga
In office January 24, 2025 – March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Karina Gould
Succeeded by	Arielle Kayabaga
Interim January 8, 2024 – July 19, 2024[a]
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Karina Gould
Succeeded by	Karina Gould
Minister of Jobs and Families
In office March 14, 2025 – May 13, 2025
Prime Minister	Mark Carney
Preceded by	Position established[b]
Succeeded by	Patty Hajdu
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
In office December 20, 2024 – March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Employment, Workforce Development, and Official Languages) Himself (Labour)
Succeeded by	Position abolished[b]
Minister of Labour and Seniors
In office July 19, 2024 – December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Seamus O'Regan
Succeeded by	Himself (Labour) Joanne Thompson (Seniors)
Chief Government Whip
In office October 28, 2021 – January 8, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Mark Holland
Succeeded by	Ruby Sahota
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
In office January 30, 2017 – October 28, 2021
Minister	Judy Foote Carla Qualtrough Anita Anand
Preceded by	Leona Alleslev
Succeeded by	Anthony Housefather
Member of Parliament for Gatineau
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Françoise Boivin
Personal details
Born	Steven Garrett MacKinnon (1966-09-28) September 28, 1966 (age 58) Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Residence(s)	Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Alma mater	Queen's University Université de Moncton
Occupation	Politician businessman

Early life and education

MacKinnon was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and studied business at the Université de Moncton and Queen's University.

In addition to his career in politics, MacKinnon has worked in business and public affairs. From 2007 to 2015, he was Senior Vice-President and National Practice Leader at a global public affairs consultancy firm, where he led teams and major projects in mergers and acquisitions and financial communications.

Political career

As political advisor

McKinnon served as executive assistant and an advisor to New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna from 1988 to 1995.

A supporter and advisor to former Prime Minister Paul Martin, McKinnon was named Deputy National Director upon Martin's election as party leader and Prime Minister. He acted as the party's communications chief during the 2004 election, and was promoted to national director of the Liberal Party of Canada after the election. In that role, he oversaw a overhaul of the party's constitution and the last competitive leadership contest decided through a delegated convention, both cumulating at the party's convention held in Montreal in December 2006 where fourth place contender Stéphane Dion emerged as the surprised victor. McKinnon announced he resignation as national director in the week immediately following the convention. He later served as the returning officer for the 2013 federal leadership election.^[1]

Parliamentary career

MacKinnon first contested for a seat in parliament in the 2011 federal election in Gatineau, finishing third and almost 50 points behind Françoise Boivin, a former Liberal MP running for the New Democratic Party who secured 62% of the votes, and the then-incumbent Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau by just over 1 point.

Four years later at the 2015 election, MacKinnon returned and defeated Boivin by a 2-to-1 margin. He was relected in 2019 and 2021 with similar margins against Bloc Québécois rival Geneviève Nadeau.

MacKinnon was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement in January 2017, and with the exception for the campaign period in 2019 held the role continuously under three ministers until the dissolution of parliament prior to the 2021 election.

Frontbench career

Following the 2021 election, MacKinnon was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Chief Government Whip and was sworn in as a Privy Councillor.

He was promoted to cabinet in January 2024 on an interim basis as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons during the parental leave of the incoming House Leader Karina Gould. He was made a full member of cabinet in July as Minister of Labour and Minister of Seniors. In the cabinet shuffle that took place at the height of the 2024–2025 Canadian political crisis, MacKinnon relinquished the senior portfolio and consolidated other workforce related portfolios to became the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.

In the two weeks following the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, MacKinnon publicly explored a bid in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election,^[2][3] but opted not to enter the race citing the short duration of the race.^[4] He later endorsed the candidacy of former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.^[5] On January 25, MacKinnon was appointed Leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada after Karina Gould resigned from cabinet to run in the leadership race; MacKinnon had previously stood in for her during her maternity leave the previous year.^[6]

On March 14, 2025, upon the beginning of the 30th Canadian Ministry, MacKinnon was appointed Minister of Jobs and Families by new Prime Minister Mark Carney. He was later appointed as the permanent Leader of the Government in the House of Commons on May 13, 2025.

Electoral record

v t e 2025 Canadian federal election: Gatineau
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Steven MacKinnon	34,751	60.54	+10.49
	Conservative	Kethlande Pierre	10,982	19.13	+8.02
	Bloc Québécois	Richard Nadeau	9,373	16.33	-7.09
	New Democratic	Daniel Simoncic	1,615	2.81	-5.81
	People's	Mathieu Saint-Jean	505	0.88	-3.17
	Marxist–Leninist	Pierre Soublière	173	0.30	+0.20
Total valid votes/expense limit			57,399	98.91
Total rejected ballots			633	1.09
Turnout			58,032	68.20
Eligible voters			85,086
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		+1.24
Source: Elections Canada[7][8]
Note: number of eligible voters does not include voting day registrations.

v t e 2021 Canadian federal election: Gatineau
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Steven MacKinnon	26,267	50.0	-2.1	$55,420.93
	Bloc Québécois	Geneviève Nadeau	12,278	23.4	+2.0	$13,121.18
	Conservative	Joel Bernard	5,752	11.0	+0.7	$3,144.49
	New Democratic	Fernanda Rengel	4,508	8.6	-2.4	$51.11
	People's	Mathieu Saint-Jean	2,264	4.3	+3.3	$4,401.73
	Green	Rachid Jemmah	783	1.5	-2.6	$0.00
	Free	Luc Lavoie	411	0.8	N/A	$564.48
	Rhinoceros	Sébastien Grenier	178	0.3	N/A	$0.00
	Marxist–Leninist	Pierre Soublière	56	0.1	±0.0	$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			52,497	98.5	–	$113,382.26
Total rejected ballots			818	1.5
Turnout			53,315	63.8
Registered voters			83,618
	Liberal hold		Swing		-2.0
Source: Elections Canada[9]

v t e 2019 Canadian federal election: Gatineau
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Steven MacKinnon	29,084	52.1	-1.66	$67,009.65
	Bloc Québécois	Geneviève Nadeau	11,926	21.4	+11.96	none listed
	New Democratic	Eric Chaurette	6,128	11.0	-15.56	$24,553.38
	Conservative	Sylvie Goneau	5,745	10.3	+2.11	$16,427.02
	Green	Guy Dostaler	2,264	4.1	+2.47	$0.00
	People's	Mario-Roberto Lam	560	1.0		$1,439.79
	Marxist–Leninist	Pierre Soublière	76	0.1	-0.06	$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			55,783	100.0
Total rejected ballots			787
Turnout			56,570	67.0
Eligible voters			84,463
	Liberal hold		Swing		-6.81
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]

2015 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Steve MacKinnon	31,076	53.76	+39.96	–
	New Democratic	Françoise Boivin	15,352	26.56	-35.57	–
	Bloc Québécois	Philippe Boily	5,455	9.44	-5.49	–
	Conservative	Luc Angers	4,733	8.19	+0.18	–
	Green	Guy Dostaler	942	1.63	+0.49	–
	Independent	Guy J. Bellavance	148	0.26	–	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Pierre Soublière	94	0.16	–	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			57,800	100.0		$221,304.70
Total rejected ballots			522	–	–
Turnout			58,322	–	–
Eligible voters			83,651
Source: Elections Canada[12][13][14]

2011 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Françoise Boivin	35,262	61.83	+35.71
	Bloc Québécois	Richard Nadeau	8,619	15.11	-14.04
	Liberal	Steve MacKinnon	7,975	13.98	-11.34
	Conservative	Jennifer Gearey	4,532	7.95	-8.86
	Green	Jonathan Meijer	639	1.12	-1.45
Total valid votes/Expense limit			57,027	100.00
Total rejected ballots			365	0.64
Turnout			57,392	64.36
Eligible voters			89,171

Notes

1. MacKinnon served as interim Leader of the Government in the House of Commons from January 8 to July 19, 2024, filling in for Karina Gould while she was on her maternity leave.
2. The role of Minister of Jobs and Families consolidated all positions responsible for Employment and Social Development Canada into a single post. Previously, the department was divided between the following roles:

   • Minister of Citizens' Services (Terry Beech)
   • Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities (Kamal Khera)
   • Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour (MacKinnon)
   • Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (Jenna Sudds)
   • Minister of Seniors (Joanne Thompson)