David Lametti

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The Honourable
David Lametti
PC KC
David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic at the Creative Commons Global Summit 2017 (33940702440) (cropped).jpg
Lametti in 2017
26th Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
Designate
Assuming office
November 17, 2025

David T. Lametti (born August 10, 1962) is a Canadian diplomat, lawyer, and former politician who will become the Canadian ambassador to the United Nations on November 17, 2025. Lametti was Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Liberal Party, he was the member of Parliament (MP) for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun from 2015 to 2024. After leaving electoral politics, he was Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney from July to September 2025.

Contents

Born in Port Colborne, Ontario, Lametti graduated from University of Toronto and studied law at McGill University, Yale University, and Exeter College, Oxford. Prior to entering politics, he was a professor of law at McGill University, a member of the Institute of Comparative Law, and a founding member of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy. [3]

Lametti was born on August 10, 1962, in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada, to Italian immigrants. Lametti earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from the University of Toronto in 1985, and his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees at McGill University in 1989. He then served as a clerk to Justice Peter Cory [4] of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989–90. In 1991, Lametti completed a Master of Laws degree from Yale Law School and in 1999, he completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in law at Exeter College, Oxford, [5] [6] with a thesis, The Deon-Telos of Private Property: Ethical Aspects of the Theory and Practice of Private Property. [7] At Oxford, Lametti served as co-captain of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club alongside Mark Carney. [8]

In 1995, after having been a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of New Brunswick, Lametti accepted a lecturing position at the Faculty of Law, McGill University, where he taught and conducted research. [9] He became an assistant professor in 1998, an associate professor in 2003, and was promoted to full professor with tenure in 2015. [10] He lectured and wrote on subjects related to civil and common law property, intellectual property, property theory and ethics. His work led to the creation of the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy, which he co-founded in 2003 [11] and for which he served as director from 2009 to 2011. He was Associate Dean (Academic) of the McGill Faculty of Law between 2008 and 2011, was a member of McGill University's Senate from 2012 to 2015, and was formerly a Governor of the Fondation du Barreau du Québec. [12] During his parliamentary and ministerial service, he was on leave from McGill.

Lametti is the author of academic publications on the subjects of property, intellectual property, and social norms. [13]

Political and diplomatic career

Lametti became interested in politics as a teenager, when he worked as a volunteer for the Liberal Party in the 1979 Canadian federal election, and then subsequent provincial and federal elections for Liberal candidates, including former MP and speaker, Gilbert Parent. Lametti co-founded the Erie Riding New Liberals, the youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada in southern Niagara.

On June 16, 2014, Lametti launched his bid to become the Liberal Party candidate in the new riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. Lametti won the contested nomination race on February 8, 2015, [14] and won the riding's seat in Parliament in the 2015 Canadian federal election. [15] On December 2, 2015, Lametti was named parliamentary secretary to Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland. [16] On January 26, 2017, Lametti was shuffled to become parliamentary secretary to Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains. [17]

On January 14, 2019, Lametti was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and on April 15 of that year, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel. [18] Lametti was dropped from cabinet in July 2023 as the result of a cabinet shuffle. On January 25, 2024, he announced his resignation from parliament effective February 1, 2024, in order to join law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin where he will specialize in Indigenous law. [19]

In June 2025, Lametti was reportedly chosen by Prime Minister Carney as his Principal Secretary. [20] Prior to the appointment, he had helped with Carney's transition into office and as an informal advisor. [21] [22] In September 2025, it was reported that Lametti was leaving the Prime Minister's Office for a diplomatic posting. On September 18, he was named Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, taking over from Bob Rae on November 17. [23] [24]

Electoral record

2021 Canadian federal election : LaSalle—Émard—Verdun
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal David Lametti 20,33042.93-0.60$55,842.59
Bloc Québécois Raphaël Guérard10,46122.09-2.00$9,992.28
New Democratic Jason De Lierre9,16819.36+2.89$2,674.57
Conservative Janina Moran3,5307.45+0.41$714.88
People's Michel Walsh1,6003.38+2.44$2,295.27
Green Sarah Carter1,4393.04-3.80$0.00
Free Pascal Antonin6361.34N/A$2.73
Communist J.P. Fortin1960.41N/A$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit47,36097.86–$110,554.58
Total rejected ballots1,0362.14+0.52
Turnout48,39660.59-3.78
Registered voters79,869
Liberal hold Swing +0.70
Source: Elections Canada [25]
2019 Canadian federal election : LaSalle—Émard—Verdun
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal David Lametti 22,80343.52-0.38$80,672.35
Bloc Québécois Isabel Dion12,61924.09+7.04none listed
New Democratic Steven Scott8,62816.47-12.48$15,273.80
Conservative Claudio Rocchi3,6907.04+0.14none listed
Green Jency Mercier3,5836.84+3.65none listed
People's Daniel Turgeon4900.94–none listed
No affiliationJulien Côté2740.52–$3,639.71
Rhinoceros Rhino Jacques Bélanger2650.51–$0.00
Marxist–Leninist Eileen Studd390.07–$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit52,39198.38
Total rejected ballots8641.62+0.11
Turnout53,25564.37-0.47
Eligible voters82,733
Liberal hold Swing -3.71
Source: Elections Canada [26] [27]
2015 Canadian federal election : LaSalle—Émard—Verdun
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal David Lametti 23,60343.90+25.61$93,016.24
New Democratic Hélène LeBlanc 15,56628.95-16.22$46,314.39
Bloc Québécois Gilbert Paquette 9,16417.05-6.39$43,806.34
Conservative Mohammad Zamir3,7136.91-2.83–
Green Lorraine Banville1,7173.19+0.64–
Total valid votes/expense limit53,76398.49 $221,667.78
Total rejected ballots8231.51–
Turnout54,58664.84–
Eligible voters84,192
Liberal notional gain from New Democratic Swing +20.91
Source: Elections Canada [28] [29]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/09/01/pitfield-still-in-principal-secretary-post-seven-weeks-after-lametti-took-on-job/471673/
  2. ↑ "Search For Contributions". Elections Canada. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Centre for Intellectual Property Policy — People". Centre For Intellectual Property Policy. Pixelstream. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "David Lametti Faculty of Law". McGill Faculty of Law. McGill University. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Short Bio" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Examinations and Boards". Oxford University Gazette. 11 February 1999. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "David Lametti | Improvisation, Community and Social Practice". www.improvcommunity.ca. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "Mark Carney not only played goal for the Oxford Blues hockey team, he also managed it". The Globe and Mail. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  9. ↑ Social Science and Humanities Research Council (1 April 2008). "ProActive Disclosure for SSHRC's Grants and Contributions" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Shauna Van Praagh and David Lametti promoted to Full Professors". Faculty of Law. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "About Us — History — Centre for Intellectual Property Policy". www.cipp.mcgill.ca. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Gouverneurs". Fondation du Barreau du Québec. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lametti, David". Social Science Research Network. Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Limoges, Par : Vanessa (9 February 2015). "David Lametti élu candidat libéral dans LaSalle-Émard-Verdun". Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  15. ↑ Canada, Elections. "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts". enr.elections.ca. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries" (PDF). Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  17. ↑ Siekierski, BJ (26 January 2017). "Trudeau announces parliamentary secretaries". iPolitics. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  18. ↑ Canada, Government of. "Orders In Council - Search". orders-in-council.canada.ca. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  19. ↑ "David Lametti, Liberal MP and former justice minister, is leaving politics". Global News. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  20. ↑ Charron, Jeremie (1 June 2025). "PM Carney taps former UN ambassador Marc-André Blanchard as chief of staff". CTV News . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  21. ↑ Tasker, John Paul (10 March 2025). "After landslide victory, Mark Carney meets with Trudeau as transition to power begins". CBC News . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  22. ↑ Rana, Abbas (26 May 2025). "Top 10 most influential Liberals in Carney's government". The Hill Times . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  23. ↑ McKennna, Kate (17 September 2025). "Former justice minister David Lametti to leave Prime Minister's Office: sources". CBC News . Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  24. ↑ "Former justice minister David Lametti named Canada's UN ambassador". CBC News . 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "Official Voting Results — LaSalle—Émard—Verdun". Elections Canada. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  26. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  27. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  28. ↑ Official Voting Results - LaSalle—Émard—Verdun
  29. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
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