Wikipedia

Jonathan Wilkinson

Jonathan D. Wilkinson PC MP (born June 11, 1965) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and former businessman. A member of the Liberal Party, he has represented North Vancouver—Capilano in the House of Commons since the 2015 federal election.

The Honourable
Jonathan Wilkinson
PC MP
Wilkinson in 2023
Canadian ambassador to the European Union
Designate
Assumed office
TBD
Prime MinisterMark Carney
Preceded byAilish Campbell (2025)
Ministerial positions
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
In office
October 26, 2021 – May 13, 2025
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Mark Carney
Preceded bySeamus O'Regan
Succeeded byTim Hodgson
Minister of Environment and Climate Change
In office
November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byCatherine McKenna
Succeeded bySteven Guilbeault
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
In office
July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byDominic LeBlanc
Succeeded byBernadette Jordan
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
In office
December 2, 2015 – July 17, 2018
MinisterCatherine McKenna
Preceded byDean Del Mastro
Succeeded bySean Fraser
Member of Parliament
for North Vancouver—Capilano
North Vancouver (2015–2025)
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byAndrew Saxton
Personal details
Born (1965-06-11) June 11, 1965 (age 60)
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
PartyLiberal
Other political
affiliations
New Democratic (formerly)
University of Saskatchewan (B.A.)
University of Oxford, McGill University (M.A)
ProfessionBusinessman

Wilkinson previously served as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard from 2018 to 2019, Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2019 to 2021 and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources from 2021 to 2025.

On April 30, 2026, Wilkinson's appointment as Canadian Ambassador to the European Union was announced.[1]

Before entering federal politics, Wilkinson worked as a civil servant and businessman, spending 20 years in the private sector, primarily with clean technology companies.

Early life and education

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Wilkinson was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and grew up in Saskatoon.[2] He was the former leader of the New Democratic Party's youth wing in Saskatchewan.[2][3]

Wilkinson earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in 1988,[4] and was named the Prairies Rhodes Scholar the same year. He earned master's degrees in international relations, politics, and economics from the University of Oxford and McGill University.[5]

Career prior to politics

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Wilkinson was an advisor to Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and served in the provincial civil service from 1991 to 1995. His work included a role as part of the Charlottetown Accord negotiations.[6]

In 1995 Wilkinson joined the consulting firm Bain & Company at their Toronto branch.[2] In 1999, he relocated to Vancouver to become the chief operating officer at QuestAir Technologies, a gas purification company. He was appointed President and chief executive officer in 2002.[7]

In 2009, he became the senior vice-president for business development in Nexterra Systems, a biomass company.[2] In 2011, Wilkinson became the chief executive officer of BQE Waters (formerly BioteQ Environmental Technologies)[8] a water treatment company based in Vancouver.[2][7]

Political career

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Wilkinson re-entered politics as a member of the Liberal Party, securing the nomination for the riding of North Vancouver—Capilano.[9] In the 2015 federal election he defeated incumbent Conservative Party candidate Andrew Saxton, receiving 56.7% of the vote.[10] His victory came amidst a broader surge of Liberal support in Greater Vancouver during the 2015 federal election.[11]

Wilkinson was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, where he again faced Conservative Party candidate Andrew Saxton. He received 42.9% of the vote, a reduced vote compared to the 2015 federal election.[12]

In the 2021 Canadian federal election, Wilkinson was again re-elected, receiving 45.1% of the vote, a slight increase from his 2019 result.[13]

Wilkinson was re-elected for a fourth term in the 2025 Canadian federal election. He received 59.8% of the vote, his highest result to date.[14]

Wilkinson was first appointed to the federal cabinet on July 18, 2018, as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. Prior to this, he had served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna.[15]

On November 20, 2019, he was appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change.[16] In 2020, he released Canada's plan to meet its 2030 emissions reduction targets, titled "A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy."[17]

On October 26, 2021, Wilkinson was shuffled to the role of Minister of Natural Resources, succeeding Seamus O'Regan.[18] His title was amended on July 26, 2023, when he became Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.[19] Wilkinson retained this role in the first cabinet of Mark Carney.[20]

As an MP, Wilkinson has been active in supporting the Iranian-Canadian community. During the 2022–2023 Iranian protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, Wilkinson joined several Canadian MPs in publicly sponsoring political prisoners detained by the Iranian government.[21] Among those he sponsored were Dr. Hamid Ghare-Hassanlou and his wife Farzaneh Ghare-Hassanlou, Mohammad Rakhshani, and rapper Toomaj Salehi. Wilkinson stated that political sponsorship aims to increase international scrutiny and pressure for the release of individuals facing imprisonment or capital punishment in Iran.[22][23]

In January 2025, Wilkinson announced he was considering running in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election upon the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, he decided not to run, citing the importance of continuing his role as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.[24] He subsequently supported Mark Carney.[25]

In April 2026, Wilkinson was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to the European Union, with the appointment scheduled to take effect in the summer of 2026 following his departure from Parliament.[26]

Electoral record

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2025 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver—Capilano
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalJonathan Wilkinson37,90959.83+15.14
ConservativeStephen Curran21,33933.68+4.30
New DemocraticTammy Bentz2,6844.24–14.81
GreenAndrew Robinson1,0761.70–2.57
People'sEhsan Arjmand2560.40–2.17
IndependentOliver King1020.16N/A
Total valid votes/expense limit
Total rejected ballots
Turnout 63,36671.72
Eligible voters 88,358
Liberal notional hold Swing +5.42
Source: Elections Canada[27][28]
2021 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalJonathan Wilkinson26,75645.1+2.2$95,112.00
ConservativeLes Jickling16,67128.1+1.2$113,640.04
New DemocraticTammy Bentz11,75019.8+3.4$20,351.82
GreenArchie Kaario2,5984.4-8.1$11,600.97
People'sJohn Galloway1,5452.6+1.3$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 59,32099.4–$118,692.36
Total rejected ballots 3830.6
Turnout 59,70366.1
Eligible voters 90,326
Liberal hold Swing +0.5
Source: Elections Canada[29]
2019 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalJonathan Wilkinson26,97942.87-13.78$98,189.08
ConservativeAndrew Saxton16,90826.87-0.02none listed
New DemocraticJustine Bell10,34016.43+8.64$40,432.73
GreenGeorge Orr7,86812.50+4.19$39,810.86
People'sAzmairnin Jadavji8351.33–none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 62,93099.45
Total rejected ballots 3490.55+0.21
Turnout 63,27971.20-4.57
Eligible voters 88,874
Liberal hold Swing -6.88
Source: Elections Canada[30][31]
2015 Canadian federal election: North Vancouver
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalJonathan Wilkinson36,45856.65+26.94$149,970.51
ConservativeAndrew Saxton17,30126.88-20.67$149,776.24
GreenClaire Martin5,3508.31+3.08$135,108.48
New DemocraticCarleen Thomas5,0157.79-9.06$21,413.99
LibertarianIsmet Yetisen1360.21–$1,942.47
IndependentPayam Azad940.15–$22.40
Total valid votes/Expense limit 64,354100.00 $220,823.27
Total rejected ballots 2180.34–
Turnout 64,57276.79–
Eligible voters 84,093
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +23.80
Source: Elections Canada[32][33][34]

References

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  1. ↑ "Carney names former minister Jonathan Wilkinson as next EU envoy". CBC News. April 30, 2026. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Blackwell, Richard (6 September 2012). "BioteQ's Jonathan Wilkinson a business oddity, but no fish out of water". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Liberals select North Shore candidates for 2015 federal election". Vancouver Sun. 28 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Saskatoon-raised Jonathan Wilkinson named federal environment minister, handed tricky carbon tax file - Alumni and Friends". alumni. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  5. ↑ Branswell, Brenda (2020-02-20). "Environment minister relishes new job - "daunting" challenges and all". McGill News. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  6. ↑ "Profile of Jonathan Wilkinson, North Vancouver MP". Business in Vancouver. 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  7. 1 2 bioteq_admin (2011-09-12). "BioteQ Appoints Jonathan Wilkinson as CEO". BQE Water. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  8. ↑ bioteq_admin (2017-02-27). "BioteQ to Change its Name to BQE Water". BQE Water. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  9. ↑ Richter, Brent. "Former West Van mayor and green-tech executive will face Conservative incumbents on North Shore (updated)". Vancouver Sun.
  10. ↑ "Elections Canada".
  11. ↑ "Liberals dominate in Metro Vancouver". vancouversun. Archived from the original on 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  12. ↑ "Elections Canada".
  13. ↑ "Elections Canada".
  14. ↑ "Liberal Jonathan Wilkinson re-elected in North Vancouver–Capilano". North Shore News. 2025-04-29. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  15. ↑ Laanela, Mike. "North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson named federal minister of fisheries, oceans, coast guard".
  16. ↑ Hunter, Adam. "Saskatoon-raised Jonathan Wilkinson named federal environment minister, handed tricky carbon tax file".
  17. ↑ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2020-12-11). "A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  18. ↑ "Trudeau's cabinet shuffle: North Van MP Wilkinson moves to natural resources". North Shore News. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  19. ↑ "Prime Minister announces changes to the Ministry". Prime Minister of Canada. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  20. ↑ "North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson remains in new Prime Minister's cabinet". North Shore News. 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  21. ↑ "Jonathan Wilkinson". jonathanwilkinson.libparl.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  22. ↑ "Jonathan Wilkinson". jonathanwilkinson.libparl.ca. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  23. ↑ Jafari, Hamid (2024-07-03). "Death sentence overturned for Iranian rapper sponsored by Vancouver MP". New Canadian Media. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  24. ↑ Coyne, Todd (January 17, 2025). "Jonathan Wilkinson will not run for Liberal leadership". CTV News. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  25. ↑ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
  26. ↑ https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2250402/carney-names-former-minister-jonathan-wilkinson-as-next-eu-envoy
  27. ↑ "Voter information service". Elections Canada. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts". Elections Canada. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  29. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  30. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  32. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for North Vancouver, 30 September 2015
  33. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
  34. ↑ "Résultats du soir d'élection - Circonscriptions".
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