North Vancouver-Capilano Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson will not be returning to federal cabinet.
After serving in cabinet for the past seven years, Wilkinson’s name was not among the 28 called Tuesday morning as Prime Minister Mark Carney swore in the top officials in his new government.
Previously, Wilkinson had served as minister of energy and natural resources under Justin Trudeau since 2021, and continued in that role as Carney took the reigns of the Liberal Party.
But only four MPs retained their seats in cabinet, and the North Vancouver MP wasn’t one of them. The new head of Natural Resources Canada is Markham-Thornhill MP Tim Hodgson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs and former chair of Ontario utilities provider Hydro One.
Expanding protected waters, launching critical minerals strategy among top cabinet achievements for Wilkinson
Wilkinson released a statement early Tuesday morning on social media noting that he would not be in the new cabinet, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
“Though my tenure as minister of the Crown comes to an end, the privilege of serving this country over the past seven years remains one of the greatest honours of my life,” he said.
Wilkinson was first named to cabinet in 2018 as minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian coast guard, and then in 2019 as minister of environment and climate change. In the April 28 federal election, he won the North Vancouver-Capilano riding for a fourth time.
“I stepped away from the private sector and into politics in 2015 because I believed in the power of good public policy to shape the future,” he said. “As a former CEO in the environmental technology space and a parent of young children, I felt an urgent responsibility to ensure Canada faced the climate crisis in particular with thoughtful but decisive action.”
Among his top achievements in cabinet, Wilkinson listed the expansion of marine protected areas from one per cent in 2015 to nearly 14 per cent by 2019, and establishing Canada’s critical minerals strategy with an initial $3.8 billion in funding.
“I want to thank [former] prime minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Carney for entrusting me with this responsibility. But above all I want to thank the residents of North and West Vancouver,” he said. “Four times, you have placed your trust in me to represent your interests and lead with purpose here in the riding but also on the national and international stages. It has been and remains the privilege of a lifetime.”
Please see my statement below: pic.twitter.com/zedNPPg8Zg
— Jonathan Wilkinson 🇨🇦 (@JonathanWNV) May 13, 2025
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