Liberal MP, Former Minister Jonathan Wilkinson Appointed Ambassador to EU

Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Jonathan Wilkinson, a Liberal MP and former minister, as Canada’s next ambassador to the European Union.

Wilkinson, who served in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will replace Ailish Campbell, who served as ambassador to the EU from 2020 to late 2025.

“With his vast experience as a minister, entrepreneur, and businessperson, Jonathan Wilkinson will drive this mission to help create greater security, prosperity, and sustainability on both sides of the Atlantic,” Carney said in a statement.

Wilkinson held cabinet roles as environment minister and natural resources minister under Trudeau, but wasn’t named to Carney’s cabinet after last year’s election.

Wilkinson is expected to start as ambassador early this summer and work closely with John Hannaford, the prime minister’s personal representative to the EU, the Prime Minister’s Office said in an April 30 news release.

Wilkinson said the decision to accept the role and step down as an MP was “not easy.”

“Representing this community and serving all Canadians at the Cabinet table, has been the greatest honour of my professional life,” Wilkinson said in an April 30 statement.

He is currently the MP for the federal riding of North Vancouver-Capilano. A byelection will be required after Wilkinson resigns his seat, which he has held since 2015.

“When [Carney] asked me to consider this role, I thought carefully about the sacrifices it would mean for my family and this community, and about the unique opportunity to defend and advance Canadian values and interests at a time when the international order is under strain,” he added. “Ultimately, I decided to accept not because it is easy, but because I believe it is important.”

Wilkinson’s resignation from the House of Commons will not impact the Liberal government’s newly gained majority.

The Liberals obtained a majority government earlier this month after five opposition MPs crossed the floor to join the governing party, and after winning three byelections on April 13.

The party currently has 174 seats in the House of Commons, two seats more than needed for a majority government. Wilkinson’s riding of North Vancouver–Capilano is considered a safe Liberal seat.

Wilkinson’s appointment comes as Carney is expected to become the first non-European leader to join the European Political Community Summit as he travels to Armenia this weekend.

Carney has made a number of moves to forge closer ties with the EU over the past year, including signing a new Canada-EU strategic partnership and a security and defence partnership, as well as joining the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative.