Jonathan Wilkinson

Jonathan D. Wilkinson (born June 11, 1965) is a Canadian diplomat, politician, and businessman who is the Canadian ambassador to the European Union since 2026. As a member of the Liberal Party, he served as a member of Parliament (MP) representing North Vancouver—Capilano in the House of Commons from 2015 until resigning in 2026 to take up his diplomatic post.

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.

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

Wilkinson earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in 1988 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.

Career prior to politics 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.

In 1995 Wilkinson joined the consulting firm Bain & Company at their Toronto branch.

In 2009, he became the senior vice-president for business development in Nexterra Systems, a biomass company. a water treatment company based in Vancouver. In the 2015 federal election he defeated incumbent Conservative Party candidate Andrew Saxton, receiving 56.7% of the vote. His victory came amidst a broader surge of Liberal support in Greater Vancouver during the 2015 federal election.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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. 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.

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. He subsequently supported Mark Carney.

In May 2026, Wilkinson announced his intention to step down as a member of Parliament to become Canada's ambassador to the European Union. His resignation was effective June 19, 2026.

Ambassador to the European Union (2026–present) In April 2026, Wilkinson was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador to the European Union, with the appointment taking effect in the summer of 2026 following his departure from Parliament.

Electoral history