Wednesday May 14, 2025 | OTTAWA, ON [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Mark Gerretsen, MP (Kingston and the Islands), will serve as Chief Government Whip in the new Liberal government.
The announcement was made today by Prime Minister Mark Carney. It shows a continued theme of choosing people who are pragmatic and show abilities to deal with process.
Rising to higher profile:
The 49-year-old Gerretsen was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015 (re-elected 2019, 2021 and 2025).
Before his federal role he was the mayor of Kingston, Ontario and served as a member of the Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario.
Gerretsen previously served as Deputy Government House Leader, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, and as a member of various parliamentary committees including the Standing Committee for National Defence.
This appointment provides a higher profile for the MP that served 10 years under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Though in 2013 he gained some notoriety for speaking out about rowdy street partying during Queen’s University homecoming activities.
What probably caught Carney’s eye is that Gerretsen got things done with federal funds during 2015-2019 including a $1 million investment for a park and pier, $42 million for public transit, $31 million for new ferry vessels, and $60 million for a bridge.
Responsibility:
“I am deeply honoured to take on the role in our newly elected government as Chief Government Whip,” said Gerretsen in social media today.
“Thank you, Prime Minister Mark Carney, for entrusting me with this responsibility. Let’s get to work!,” said Gerretsen.
Decisive for Canada:
“The decisions made by this new Parliament, starting on May 26, 2025, will be decisive for Canada’s future,” said Carney in a news release today.
“We will govern constructively and collaboratively, working with Caucus and across parties in Parliament to deliver the change that Canadians voted for.”
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