Jack Harris, who represented
St. John's East multiple times starting 1987, declined to seek reelection in the
2021 election. In the 2021 and
2025 elections Thompson was a successful
Liberal candidate in St. John's East. She was the first Liberal to win reelection in the riding since the 1960s. From 2021 to 2023, Thompson was a member of the Government Operations and Estimates, and Environment and Sustainable Development committees. From 2023 to 2025, she was a member of the Finance committee. She was the co-chair of the Women's Caucus. Thompson supported Carney during the
2025 Liberal leadership election. Thompson was the
Minister of Seniors in the
cabinet of
Justin Trudeau from 20 December 2024 to 13 March 2025, and has been the
Minister of Fisheries in the
cabinet of
Mark Carney since 14 March 2025. In 2025, she doubled the allowable catch of cod off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador from 18,000 tonnes to 38,000 tonnes. She denied
Marineland of Canada's request to export its 30
beluga whales to a theme park in China, stating that it was not in line with the
Fisheries Act's regulations to protect marine mammals from exploitation. However, on January 26, 2026, she gave "conditional approval" to Marineland to export its remaining 30 belugas and 4 dolphins to several institutions in the United States. Before final approval is given, Marineland will need to provide a complete travel plan and confirm precisely which animals are going to which facilities, as well as receive confirmation from accredited veterinarians that each animal is safe to be transported. Marineland had stated that if the government had denied the request for export permits it would proceed with a secondary plan to euthanize the animals. ==Electoral history==