
David J. McGuinty is the federal Minister of National Defence in the Carney cabinet, succeeding Bill Blair. Liberal MP for Ottawa South since 2004, making him one of the longest-serving sitting Liberal MPs. A lawyer by training, he previously served as Chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) from 2017 to 2024, where he led the federal response to foreign-interference reporting. He is the younger brother of former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. His Defence file covers NATO 2-percent commitment, CAF reconstitution, and the F-35 procurement framework.