Barrett was born in
Arnprior,
Ontario in 1984, graduated from Algonquin College in Ottawa, and enrolled in the
Canadian Armed Forces, serving as a telecommunications lineman and attaining the rank of corporal. Following his service in the army, he worked as a human resources manager. He has five children. Before his election to Parliament, he served as an elected councillor in
Edwardsburgh/Cardinal for four years. In November 2019, Barrett was appointed Shadow Minister for Ethics. In November 2021, Barrett was appointed Deputy Opposition House Leader and a Co-Chair of Question Period Planning. During a shadow cabinet shuffle in February 2022, Opposition Leader Candice Bergen named Barrett shadow minister for health, which saw him elected as vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Health. Following the election of Pierre Poilievre as leader of the Conservative Party, Poilievre named Barrett Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government. Barrett was named one of Brockville’s 40 Under 40 in 2022.
Committees Barrett has served on several House of Commons committees. He has been a member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, including its Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. He has also served on the Standing Committees on Justice and Human Rights, Government Operations and Estimates, and Procedure and House Affairs. In the 44th Parliament, he served as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Health and the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.
Parliamentary oversight and accountability work Barrett has participated in several parliamentary investigations related to ethics and government accountability. During the 2019 SNC-Lavalin affair, he questioned then Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He later questioned former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould during her appearance before the committee. In July 2020, Barrett questioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during committee hearings related to the WE Charity controversy. Barrett later played a prominent role in parliamentary scrutiny of the ArriveCAN procurement program. In 2024, a GCStrategies co-founder was summoned to the Bar of the House of Commons and formally admonished in connection with the ArriveCAN study. In the 44th Parliament, Barrett sponsored Private Member's Bill C-405,
An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Parliament of Canada Act, which proposed amendments establishing mandatory penalties for perjury before Parliament and authorizing Parliament to impose financial penalties for contempt. The bill did not progress past the first reading. ==Electoral record==