LeBlanc is member of the
Liberal Party of Canada in the
House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of
Beauséjour in
New Brunswick. LeBlanc first ran for election in that riding in 1997, losing to
New Democratic Party candidate
Angela Vautour. During that race there were accusations of political patronage as LeBlanc's father was the sitting viceroy, and there was criticism that the governor general had a series of events planned in New Brunswick during the week that the
election writs dropped. In 2000 LeBlanc once again ran against Vautour, who had
crossed the floor to join the
Progressive Conservative party, and was elected. LeBlanc was re-elected in
2004 (where he faced Vautour for a third time),
2006,
2008,
2011,
2015,
2019, and
2021.
Chrétien and Martin governments During the Liberal Party's time in power LeBlanc served as
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of National Defence, from January 13, 2003, to December 11, 2003, and was the chair of the Atlantic Caucus. On July 10, 2004, he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council for Canada and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the
leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Deputy Chief Government Whip. He 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, Public Accounts, Procedures and House Affairs, International Trade, and Justice and Human Rights.
In opposition In January 2006, he was named Official Opposition critic for international trade and later that year he was co-chair of the
2006 Liberal Party leadership convention in
Montreal. In January 2007, he was named by the Honourable
Stéphane Dion, Vice Chair – Liberal Party of Canada Policy and Platform Committee and In October of that year, he was named Official Opposition critic for intergovernmental affairs. In January 2009, he was named by
Michael Ignatieff as the critic for justice and attorney general. Before the return of Parliament in September 2010, Ignatieff shuffled his Shadow Cabinet and appointed LeBlanc as the Liberal critic for national defence. Following LeBlanc's re-election in the 2011 federal election, interim Liberal leader
Bob Rae appointed LeBlanc as the Liberal Party's foreign affairs critic.
2008 leadership bid On October 27, 2008, LeBlanc was the first candidate to officially announce his intention to seek the leadership of the Liberal party to replace Stéphane Dion. Former leadership candidates Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae came forward shortly after LeBlanc's announcement. His supporters included top staffers in the prime minister's office under
Jean Chrétien, such as his former chief of staff
Percy Downe, and
Tim Murphy, chief of staff under
Paul Martin. Some senior organizers in
Gerard Kennedy's 2006 leadership bid also supported LeBlanc. leader
Michael Ignatieff (centre-left) during the 2011 federal election campaign launch, in
Ottawa. On December 8, 2008, 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. The next day Rae dropped out of the race and Ignatieff was acclaimed leader when Dion stepped down.
41st Canadian Parliament LeBlanc retained his seat in the
2011 election, the only Liberal to be elected in New Brunswick, while the Liberals dropped down to third place in the House of Commons. Following Ignatieff's resignation as leader, LeBlanc was seen as a potential leadership candidate. LeBlanc did not say whether he was considering a bid but hoped to be part of the "rebuilding and renewal" of the party. Later, 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. On October 5, 2012, he announced he would not stand for the leadership and instead endorsed Justin Trudeau. From 2012 to 2015, LeBlanc served as the Liberal
opposition house leader.
In government 42nd Canadian Parliament Leader of the Government in the House of Commons On November 4, 2015, he was appointed the
leader of the Government in the House of Commons in the present
Cabinet, headed by
Justin Trudeau. During his tenure as House Leader, LeBlanc introduced Bill C-22, which created the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, a committee composed of Members of Parliament and Senators equipped with top-secret security clearances and with a mandate to conduct oversight of the work of Canada’s national security and intelligence community. The committee is the first body of its kind in Canada, offering parliamentarians an unprecedented view into highly classified intelligence and activities conducted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Global Affairs Canada. It produces classified and unclassified reports which are shared with the Prime Minister. The classified version of the report is subsequently tabled in Parliament and released publicly.
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard On May 31, 2016, upon the resignation of
Hunter Tootoo from the Ministry, LeBlanc was named
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. His father had previously held the equivalent position under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He retained the post of Government House Leader until August 19 of that year. During his tenure as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, LeBlanc modernized the
Fisheries Act, strengthening the provisions contained in the legislation regarding the protection of fish stocks and fish habitat. He also 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. Since then, 14
Oceans Act Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established across Canada, comprising over 350,000 km² or roughly 6% of Canada’s marine and coastal areas, contributing to Canada’s goal of protecting 30% of its marine areas by 2030, in accordance with its international commitments. LeBlanc’s tenure was also 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. In response, LeBlanc engaged with industry groups, Indigenous communities and United States fishing authorities to develop new fishing gear and implement seasonal restrictions to maritime traffic to reduce the risk of entanglement and collisions. On September 12, 2018, the
ethics commissioner,
Mario Dion, found 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. LeBlanc was also a lead minister behind the Atlantic Growth Strategy, an intergovernmental forum comprising all four Atlantic premiers and all Atlantic federal ministers launched on July 4, 2016. The Strategy’s goal is to attract newcomers and investment to Atlantic Canada by enabling collaboration between the federal government and Atlantic provinces on immigration, innovation, clean technology, trade and investment, and infrastructure.
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade On July 18, 2018, LeBlanc was shuffled from Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade He also 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. As Minister of Northern Affairs, LeBlanc shepherded legislation amending
the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act to give Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories and the surrounding region a greater say in the management of resource development projects. On the internal trade front, LeBlanc advanced several initiatives to make it easier to trade within Canada. He 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 Montréal, LeBlanc led a discussion with Premiers on ways to strengthen internal trade in Canada. On April 26, 2019, LeBlanc announced he would be stepping back from cabinet as he sought treatment for cancer.
43rd Canadian Parliament President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada On November 20, 2019, LeBlanc returned to Cabinet as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a position with reduced responsibilities. His former role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, was split between the
minister of northern affairs, and the minister of intergovernmental affairs. After the resignation of
Bill Morneau as
Minister of Finance, LeBlanc again became Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs after his successor,
Chrystia Freeland, took the role of
Minister of Finance in a cabinet shuffle on August 18, 2020. He retained his position as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.
44th Canadian Parliament Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities On October 26, 2021, 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. He continued to chair the Cabinet Committee on Operations and the Sub-Committee on the Federal Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). During his tenure, he oversaw the allocation of billions of dollars of investment through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and reached deals with provinces and territories to accelerate the allocation of their respective ICIP funding envelopes ahead of the planned deadline. This was meant to boost public investment in job-creating projects during a time of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, LeBlanc launched calls for applications under several funds, including the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program and the Disaster Mitigation and Adaption Fund. Both funds brought hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to communities across the country and helped them reduce their carbon footprint while becoming more resilient to the effects of climate change. Throughout this time, LeBlanc also retained responsibilities for two previously-held files, Democratic Institutions and Internal Trade. In his role as Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions, he oversaw the adoption of the
Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons Act in 2022, which amended the
Constitution Act, 1867 to provide that a province may not have fewer Members of Parliament than it had during the 43rd Parliament. This was in response to riding boundary adjustments made following the 2021 decennial census, which would otherwise have seen Quebec lose a seat in the House of Commons. In his role as Minister responsible for Internal Trade, in December 2022, he launched the Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade, which led to the removal and narrowing of one third of all federal exceptions in the 2017 Canadian Free Trade Agreement. In his role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, LeBlanc worked with provincial and territorial Premiers to follow up on the February 2023 First Ministers’ Working Meeting on healthcare. All provinces and territories would eventually reach bilateral agreements on healthcare funding, which will see 198 billion dollars invested in healthcare over the ten-year life of the agreements. Following the conclusion of a supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP),
Delivering for Canadians Now, the Prime Minister appointed LeBlanc to the oversight group struck to ensure that the commitments outlined in the agreement remained on track. LeBlanc would remain a member of the steering committee until the NDP put an end to the agreement in September 2024. LeBlanc was also designated by the Prime Minister to be the lead minister on the Government of Canada’s response to the Public Order Emergency Commission (otherwise known as the Rouleau Commission), which was created following the invocation of the
Emergencies Act by the Government of Canada to put an end to several illegal blockades in Ottawa and across the country in February 2022. He released the Government of Canada’s response to the Commission’s Final Report on March 6, 2024.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs On July 26, 2023, LeBlanc was appointed Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs. His appointment came as the issue of foreign interference in Canadian democratic processes was being pursued in media reporting and Parliamentary proceedings. LeBlanc led the government's response to calls for a public inquiry on the issue, and negotiated with the other recognized parties regarding the terms of reference and scope of the inquiry. On September 7, 2023, LeBlanc announced the appointment of Québec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue to lead the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions. In February 2024, LeBlanc hosted Canada’s first-ever National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft. Bringing together elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and the auto industry, the Summit was successful in mobilizing partners around this issue. The Government of Canada subsequently released a National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft, which led to a 17% reduction in the number of vehicles being reported stolen as well as a 19% reduction in the number of stolen vehicles claims in the first half of 2024 in Canada. In March 2024, LeBlanc released the Government of Canada’s response to the Mass Casualty Commission’s Final Report,
Turning the Tide Together. The Commission was struck following the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history in April 2020 in Portapique, Nova Scotia, which claimed the lives of 22 people. That same month, LeBlanc also introduced the
Electoral Participation Act, which contained many of the commitments in the supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, including allowing Canadians to vote at any polling place within their riding and making it easier to vote by mail. As Public Safety Minister, LeBlanc also oversaw the adoption of several pieces of legislation. He shepherded C-21,
An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), which his predecessor had introduced, through committee consideration and third reading in the Senate. The Act significantly strengthened Canada’s gun control laws. It codified a handgun freeze the Liberals had previously enacted through regulation; enacted tougher sentences for weapons smuggling and trafficking; instituted new license requirements to transfer, purchase or import firearms parts such as cartridges, barrels, and handgun slides; created new offences regarding the possession or distribution of 3D printer data for the purpose of manufacturing or trafficking a firearm; and enacted new “red flags” laws to enable individuals to apply for a court order to remove firearms from an individual posing a public safety risk, particularly in intimate partner violence contexts. LeBlanc also oversaw the adoption in 2024 of Bill C-20, the
Public Complaints and Review Commission Act, a bill the Liberals had previously introduced twice (in both the 42nd and 43rd Parliament) and which had previously died on the order paper when Parliament was dissolved. It established a civilian complaints review process for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), strengthening the oversight of the CBSA’s activities and bringing it up to par with oversight mechanisms that apply to several Canadian policing agencies, including the RCMP. In addition, LeBlanc introduced the
Countering Foreign Interference Act, which significantly modernized the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act for the first time in its 40-year existence; enacted the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, which created a new foreign influence transparency registry; and instituted new foreign interference-related criminal offences in the
Criminal Code and the
Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act. He was able to secure agreement from all recognized parties to speed up passage of the legislation, which was introduced on May 6, 2024 and received Royal Assent on June 20, 2024. LeBlanc’s tenure was also marked by a rise in antisemitism and islamophobia in light of the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel by Hamas. In response, LeBlanc implemented immediate enhancements to the Security Infrastructure Program to quickly provide community groups at risk of hate-motivated crime with funding to secure their places of worship and community gathering spaces. Following consultations with affected communities, in September 2024, LeBlanc launched the Canada Community Security Program, which replaced the Security Infrastructure Program and made several of the temporary enhancements permanent. During LeBlanc’s tenure at Public Safety, the Government of Canada listed three groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Samidoun, and Ansarallah. In November 2024, LeBlanc accompanied Prime Minister Trudeau for his meeting with U.S. President-elect
Donald Trump at
Mar-a-Lago.
Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs On December 16, 2024, he was sworn in as the
minister of finance following the surprise
resignation of former finance minister and
deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland. LeBlanc was considered as a possible candidate in the
2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, upon the resignation of Trudeau. He declined to run in the election, citing the need to focus on potential tariffs from the incoming
second Trump administration.
45th Canadian Parliament On May 13, 2025, following the 2025 federal election, which was won by the incumbent Liberal Party, LeBlanc was appointed
President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and
Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy. In addition to retaining responsibility for intergovernmental affairs, LeBlanc was tasked with establishing a new economic and security relationship with the United States. Since Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to Mar-a-Lago in November 2024, LeBlanc had become a key interlocutor with the United States Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, and accompanied Prime Minister Carney on his visit to Washington on May 6, 2025. He was also tasked with building one Canadian economy by removing barriers to interprovincial trade, and identifying and expediting nation-building projects. During the post-election spring sitting of Parliament, LeBlanc was the lead minister on Bill C-5, the
One Canadian Economy Act, which received
Royal assent on June 26. Part two of the Act enacts the
Building Canada Act, which institutes a process by which the federal Cabinet can designate certain projects as being in the national interest. Designation provides upfront approval for the project and expedites regulatory reviews so that the project benefits from a final regulatory decision within two years. The Act fulfilled a key pledge from the Liberal campaign, which centered around the need for Canada to become less reliant on the United States. The Liberals committed to building trade-enabling and energy infrastructure that would allow Canada to diversify its trade relationships away from the United States and bolster its internal market. On September 16, 2025, LeBlanc added the role of
Minister of Internal Trade to his portfolio following the resignation of
Chrystia Freeland from cabinet. == Electoral record ==