Randy Boissonnault

Biography

Randy Boissonnault is a Canadian politician and member of the Liberal Party. He was born on July 14, 1970, in Morinville, Alberta. Boissonnault completed his education at the University of Alberta and the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Before entering politics, he worked as a lecturer at the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean and as a journalist and political commentator for Radio-Canada and Les Affaires.

Boissonnault was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton Centre in the 2015 federal election, becoming the first Liberal MP to win in the riding in almost a decade. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage upon being sworn in as an MP.

In November 2016, Boissonnault was named special advisor on LGBTQ2 issues to the Prime Minister, where he was responsible for advising the Prime Minister on the development and coordination of the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 agenda, including protecting LGBT rights in Canada and addressing present and historical discrimination.

Boissonnault was defeated in the 2019 federal election but won back his seat in the 2021 federal election. He was acclaimed as the Edmonton Centre Liberal candidate on July 14, 2021, and won the election on September 20, 2021, defeating James Cumming.

Following the 2021 federal election, Boissonnault was appointed Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance in a Cabinet shuffle. As Minister of Tourism, he is responsible for overseeing the promotion of Canada’s tourism industry and developing policies to support its growth. As Associate Minister of Finance, he is responsible for supporting the Minister of Finance in developing and implementing the federal government’s economic agenda.