49 Facts About Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic LeBlanc has been the minister of international trade since March 2025 and minister of intergovernmental affairs since August 2020.

Dominic LeBlanc has held a number of Cabinet portfolios throughout his tenure in government.

The son of former governor general Romeo Dominic LeBlanc, he ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 2008 but dropped out of the race to endorse Michael Ignatieff, who was later acclaimed leader.

Dominic LeBlanc served as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard from 2016 to 2018 and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade from 2018 to 2019.

Dominic LeBlanc served as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from 2018 to 2021 and began a second stint as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in 2020.

In 2023, Dominic LeBlanc became Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, gaining responsibility for public safety and democratic institutions while remaining minister of intergovernmental affairs.

In December 2024, following the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, Dominic LeBlanc became minister of finance and he gave up the responsibility for public safety and democratic institutions while keeping intergovernmental affairs and the border security portfolio.

Dominic LeBlanc was born in 1967, of Acadian descent, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, to Joslyn "Lyn" and Romeo Dominic LeBlanc, a former MP, senator and 25th governor general of Canada.

Dominic LeBlanc remained friends with Justin Trudeau and endorsed Trudeau's candidacy for Liberal leader in 2012.

Dominic LeBlanc attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa for high school.

Dominic LeBlanc earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick, and then attended Harvard Law School, where he obtained his Master of Laws degree.

Dominic LeBlanc worked as a barrister and solicitor with Clark Drummie in Shediac and Moncton.

From 1993 to 1996, Dominic LeBlanc was a Special Advisor to Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Dominic LeBlanc is member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Beausejour in New Brunswick.

Dominic LeBlanc first ran for election in that riding in 1997, losing to New Democratic Party candidate Angela Vautour.

In 2000 Dominic LeBlanc ran against Vautour, who had crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservative party, and was elected.

Dominic LeBlanc was re-elected in 2004,2006,2008,2011,2015,2019, and 2021.

Dominic LeBlanc has served on the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs, and the Standing Committees on Fisheries and Oceans, Transport and Government Operations, National Defence and Veterans Affairs, and Public Accounts, Procedures and House Affairs, and International Trade.

On October 27,2008, Dominic LeBlanc was the first candidate to officially announce his intention to seek the leadership of the Liberal party to replace Stephane Dion.

Dominic LeBlanc's supporters included top staffers in the prime minister's office under Jean Chretien, such as his former chief of staff Percy Downe, and Tim Murphy, chief of staff under Paul Martin.

On December 8,2008, Dominic LeBlanc announced he was dropping out of the leadership race because he felt a new leader needed to be in place as soon as possible and that he was throwing his support behind Ignatieff.

Dominic LeBlanc retained his seat in the 2011 election, while the Liberals dropped down to third place in the House of Commons.

Dominic LeBlanc did not say whether he was considering a bid but hoped to be part of the "rebuilding and renewal" of the party.

Later, Dominic LeBlanc said that the next leader needs to commit 10 to 15 years of his or her life "occupied exclusively" with rebuilding the Liberal party and winning elections.

From 2012 to 2015, Dominic LeBlanc served as the Liberal opposition house leader.

Dominic LeBlanc had previously been a member of committee as the Liberal Party's House Leader while in opposition from 2012 to 2015, and continued to serve on the Board until October 26,2023.

On May 31,2016, upon the resignation of Hunter Tootoo from the Ministry, Dominic LeBlanc became the minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Dominic LeBlanc's father had previously held the equivalent position under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Dominic LeBlanc retained the post of Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Dominic LeBlanc introduced legislation amending the Oceans Act and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act to establish a national network of Marine Protected Areas, a novel type of conservation measure in Canada.

Dominic LeBlanc's tenure was marked by heightened concerns regarding the entanglement of North Atlantic Right Whales, an endangered species, in fishing gear, leading to the death of several cetaceans.

On September 12,2018, the ethics commissioner, Mario Dion, found Dominic LeBlanc broke conflict of interest rules when he awarded a lucrative Arctic surf clam licence to a company linked to his wife's cousin in February 2018.

On July 18,2018, Dominic LeBlanc was shuffled from Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, a combination of two positions, Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth, and Northern Affairs.

Dominic LeBlanc became vice-chair of the Cabinet Committee on Agenda, Results and Communications, which is manages the government's overall strategic agenda and priority setting, and tracks implementation, which is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Dominic LeBlanc pushed provinces and territories to standardize provincial regulations in several key industries, including construction, food and drink, and manufacturing, reducing administrative burdens and making it easier for businesses to do business in other provinces.

In December 2018, at a First Ministers' Meeting in Montreal, Dominic LeBlanc led a discussion with Premiers on ways to strengthen internal trade in Canada.

On November 20,2019, Dominic LeBlanc returned to Cabinet as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a position with reduced responsibilities.

Dominic LeBlanc retained his position as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

On October 26,2021, Dominic LeBlanc was appointed Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, as well as chair of the Sub-Committee on Intergovernmental Coordination, which takes an intergovernmental lens to the key issues before the government.

Dominic LeBlanc continued to chair the Cabinet Committee on Operations and the Sub-Committee on the Federal Response to the Coronavirus Disease.

In November 2024, Dominic LeBlanc accompanied Prime Minister Trudeau for his meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Dominic LeBlanc was considered as a possible candidate in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, upon the resignation of Trudeau.

Dominic LeBlanc declined to run in the election, citing the need to focus on potential tariffs from the incoming second Trump administration.

Dominic LeBlanc is the daughter of Guy A Richard, who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick.

In September 2019, Dominic LeBlanc underwent a stem cell transplant at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal, Quebec to cure his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an extremely rare form of cancer.

Dominic LeBlanc spent 56 nights, spanning most of the 2019 federal election campaign, in an isolation room at Maisonneuve-Rosemont.

Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as President of the Queen's Privy Council in November 2019, two weeks after being discharged from the hospital, and returned to the House of Commons in late January 2020.

Dominic LeBlanc has talked publicly about his experience with cancer and his stem cell transplant.

Dominic LeBlanc travelled to Germany to visit Kehl's family in May 2023.