Dennis King

Dennis King (born November 1, 1971) is a Canadian politician and diplomat currently serving as the Canadian ambassador to Ireland. Previously, King served as the 33rd premier of Prince Edward Island, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island, and MLA for Brackley-Hunter River from 2019 to 2025.

Early life

Born in Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, King worked in many Prince Edward Island media outlets for years, including the Eastern Graphic, The Guardian and CFCY-FM. In 1997, he started work as a public relations coordinator for the Ministry of Transportation, then became director of communications for the Department of Development and Technology, and finally director of communications and executive assistant to the 30th premier of Prince Edward Island, Pat Binns.

Political career

On February 9, 2019, King was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island, at the party's leadership convention in Charlottetown.

Premier of Prince Edward Island (2019–2025)

On April 30, 2019, King was invited by Lieutenant Governor Antoinette Perry to form a minority government and was sworn in as premier on May 9, 2019. With a victory in a November 2020 by-election, the PCs became a majority government. In March 2023, King announced an early election that was held on April 3, 2023. King and the Progressive Conservative Party won a majority government in the election, increasing their majority.

On February 20, 2025, King announced his intention to resign as premier, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, and MLA as of noon AST, February 21, 2025.

King was announced as the next appointee for Canada's ambassador to Ireland on March 3, 2025. The by-election for his provincial seat was held on August 12, 2025.

Personal life

King is the author of two books: The Day They Shot Reveen: Stories from a PEI Small Town (2016) and The Legend of Bubby Stevens (2017). He has been married to Jana Hemphill since 1999; together, they have three children.

Electoral record