New Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

On May 31, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. He takes over from Hunter Tootoo, who had been in the position since November 4, 2015, following his resignation.

Since November 2000, Mr. LeBlanc has represented the New Brunswick riding of Beauséjour in the House of Commons. He has served on several standing committees, in particular those relating to Fisheries and Oceans, Transport and Government Operations, National Defence and Veterans Affairs. He was also Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

In 2004, Dominic LeBlanc was sworn to the Privy Council and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Deputy Government Whip. His roles have included Critic for International Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Justice, Defence and Foreign Affairs.

Mr. LeBlanc holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto (Trinity College), a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick, and a Master's degree in law from Harvard Law School.

Before being elected to the House of Commons, Mr. LeBlanc was a lawyer in New Brunswick. From 1993 to 1996, he was Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable Jean Chrétien.