Kenneth Ronald McKinnon (born August 8, 1951) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician. He is 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 ...

and has represented Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

since the 2015 federal election. He was re-elected in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

Early life and education

Born in Alberta, McKinnon holds a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

and an honours diploma in Computer Technology from the

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a Institute of technology, polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgar ...

Political career

McKinnon first ran for election in the 2008 federal election in

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. Demographics Consisting of the follow ...

, but was defeated, receiving just 14.8% of the votes. In the 2015 federal election, McKinnon ran again in the newly created riding of Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, which was created in the 2012 federal electoral redistribution. He was elected, receiving 35.3% of the vote, defeating Conservative Party candidate Douglas Horne, a former

BC Liberal BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA). His victory was seen as a surprise by many, as the area had consistently voted

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

prior. During the 42nd Parliament, McKinnon introduce
Bill C-224
the

' in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

on February 22, 2016. The bill amended the ''

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controll ...

'' to grant immunity from prosecution for the possession of

controlled substances A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single ...

when individuals seek emergency medical assistance for someone experiencing a drug overdose. This aimed to reduce the fear of arrest and encourage people to seek the necessary medical care. The bill was adopted on May 4, 2017, with support from all parties. McKinnon was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, receiving 34.7% of the votes. During the 43rd Parliament, McKinnon was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Health. In the 2021 federal election, McKinnon was again re-elected, receiving 38.5% of the vote. During the 44th Parliament, he was elected Chair of the

Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an upright (orthostatic) position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the sag ...

. On March 6, 2023 he introduced a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

Bill C-316
the ''Court Challenges Program Act'' which would enshrine the Court Challenges Program into Canadian law, a government-funded initiative that supports Canadians challenging laws and regulations that they believe violate their rights. In the

2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...

, McKinnon was re-elected, receiving 47.4% of the votes, his highest ever result. He defeated former

MLA and

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

Iain Black Iain James Stewart Black (born 1967) is a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He was first elected to represent the riding of Port Moody-Westwood in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the BC general election held on May 17, 2 ...

. McKinnon has previously supported electoral reform, and proposed Canada adopt a ranked pairs voting system.

Personal life

He is married to Christine and has two daughters, Katherine and Sarah.

Electoral record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinnon, Ron 1951 births Living people Canadian male bloggers Computer systems engineers Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia People from Port Coquitlam University of Alberta alumni 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada