Peter MacKay

Peter Gordon MacKay PC QC (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015. He was Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007–2013), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006–2007) in the Cabinet of Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.^[1] MacKay was the last leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He was the one that made the choice to combine the party with Harper's Canadian Alliance party in 2003 to create the Conservative Party of Canada.^[2]

The Honourable Peter MacKay PC QC
MacKay in 2011
50th Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada
In office July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Rob Nicholson
Succeeded by	Jody Wilson-Raybould
39th Minister of National Defence
In office August 14, 2007 – July 15, 2013
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Gordon O'Connor
Succeeded by	Rob Nicholson
6th Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office February 6, 2006 – August 14, 2007
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Pierre Pettigrew
Succeeded by	Maxime Bernier
Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
In office February 6, 2006 – January 19, 2010
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Joe McGuire
Succeeded by	Keith Ashfield
Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
In office March 22, 2004 – November 5, 2015
Leader	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Denis Lebel
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party
In office May 31, 2003 – December 7, 2003
Preceded by	Joe Clark
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Central Nova
In office June 28, 2004 – October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Sean Fraser
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough
In office June 2, 1997 – June 28, 2004
Preceded by	Roseanne Skoke
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Crown Attorney for Central Region, Nova Scotia
In office 1993–1997
Personal details
Born	Peter Gordon MacKay (1965-09-27) September 27, 1965 (age 59) New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political party	Conservative (since 2003)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative (1997–2003)
Spouse(s)	Nazanin Afshin-Jam ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	Kian Alexander Valentia Makaja Caledon Cyrus
Alma mater	Acadia University (transferred) Carleton University (B.A.) Dalhousie University (LL.B.)
Occupation	Crown attorney, diplomat, lawyer, politician

Before becoming a politician, MacKay was a lawyer in Nova Scotia. He was one of the Crown Attorneys in the province.^[3] MacKay was the Member of Parliament for the electoral area of Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough from 1997 to 2004 and Central Nova from 2004 to 2015.^[4] For the 2015 election, he said that he would not try to be elected again.^[5]

In January 2020, MacKay announced his candidacy for Conservative Party leader in the 2020 leadership election.^[6] He lost the election to Erin O'Toole.^[7]