Representative John McKay Contact information

John Norman McKay PC MP was born on March 21, 1948, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is a Canadian lawyer and politician, currently serving as the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Scarborough—Guildwood riding.

McKay’s political career began in 1997 when he was elected to represent Scarborough East in the House of Commons. He was re-elected in 2000 before the riding was abolished. McKay then won election to the newly created Scarborough—Guildwood riding in 2004 and has been re-elected in every subsequent election, including in 2021.

Throughout his parliamentary career, McKay has held various positions and responsibilities. From 2003 to 2006, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance during Paul Martin’s government. In this role, McKay focused on improving partnerships between the public and private sectors. Later, from 2015 to 2019, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence under Harjit Sajjan.

As of April 2019, McKay holds several key positions, including Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada-United States Permanent Joint Board on Defence, Chair of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association, Vice-chair of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, and Counsellor of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.

McKay’s dedication to public service led to his appointment as a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada on December 12, 2003. He carries the designations of Honourable and Privy Councillor (PC) for life.

Before entering politics, McKay pursued a career in law. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto at Scarborough and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University. After completing his studies, he worked as a private practice lawyer specializing in real estate law. McKay held leadership positions in the legal community, including President of the Durham Bar Association, Executive Member of County and District Law Association, and Real Estate Executive of the Canadian Bar Association.

In addition to his political and legal career, McKay is an active member of his community. He attends an evangelical church in Toronto and is committed to issues related to aid to developing nations. McKay has successfully sponsored two Private Members’ Bills during his time in Parliament. The first, Bill C-260, requires cigarette manufacturers to produce fire-safe cigarettes. The second, Bill C-293, mandates that Canadian foreign aid be exclusively targeted towards poverty reduction and requires transparent reporting of how the funds are spent.

John Norman McKay has dedicated his career to public service, representing his constituents in Scarborough—Guildwood and contributing to various parliamentary committees and associations. His commitment to improving partnerships, promoting responsible legislation, and supporting aid to developing nations has made him a respected and influential figure in Canadian politics.