Joël Lightbound (born February 8, 1988) is a Canadian politician who has served as the
since 2025. A member of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, he was first elected following the
2015 federal election and is the
member of Parliament (MP) for
Louis-Hébert Louis-Hébert could refer to:
*Louis-Hébert (provincial electoral district)
Louis-Hébert () is a provincial electoral district in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It consists of part of the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge bo ...
.
Background
In 2008, Lightbound was awarded the Cardinal Roy Trophy from
Champlain Regional College
Champlain Regional College is an English-language ''Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel'' (CEGEP) with campuses located in three distinct List of regions of Quebec, administrative regions of Quebec: Lennoxville, Quebec, Lennoxvill ...
. He later attended the
McGill University Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the List of law schools in Canada, oldest law school in Canada. 180 candidates are admitted for any given academic year. For ...
, where he won the National Laskin Moot. He initially articled with the Montreal offices of
Fasken, and prior to his election practiced law in the
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
area, specializing in immigration.
Political career
Lightbound was elected in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019, becoming the first MP in three decades to hold Louis-Hébert for more than one term, and again in 2021.
In February 2022, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and
Freedom Convoy
The Canada convoy protest, known as the Freedom Convoy (French: ''Convoi de la liberté'') was a series of protests and blockades across Canada in early 2022, initially organized to oppose COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, COVID-19 vaccine man ...
protests, Lightbound held a press conference where he spoke out against politicians' handling of the pandemic, and denounced dismissing those with "legitimate concerns" while also calling for the convoy protesters to return home. Soon afterwards, Lightbound resigned his position in the ruling party as Quebec caucus chair.
On April 28, 2025, Lightbound was re-elected again from Louis-Hébert, with 55.4% of the vote. On May 13, 2025, he was appointed to Prime Minister
Mark Carney
Mark Joseph Carney (born March 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician and economist who has served as the 24th and current Prime Minister of Canada, prime minister of Canada since 2025. He has served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, lead ...
's
Cabinet as
.
Electoral record
References
External links
*
*
Members of the 30th Canadian Ministry
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightbound, Joel
1988 births
Franco-Ontarian people
Immigration lawyers
Lawyers in Quebec
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec
New York (state) lawyers
Politicians from Quebec City
Politicians from Toronto
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
Université Laval alumni
Canadian republicans
21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada