List of LGBTQ politicians in Canada

Party Despite Canada being known as one of the most accepting countries for LGBTQ persons and home to some of the largest and most vibrant queer communities in the world, ^[1] LGBT/Queer representation in elected offices in Canada has generally been modest when compared with other developed western countries.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of LGBT politicians in Canada who have been identified or acknowledged on public record as being LGBT or queer persons. It does not include politicians who were/are openly queer or widely known as LGBTQ persons among their personal or even political associate but have never formally identified as such (by self, mainstream media outlets, or historians) to the general public or in election campaigns. The list is grouped by members of the two houses of the federal parliament, provincial legislatures, mayors, municipal councilors, and other.

Federal Parliament

House of Commons

Canada got its first openly gay MP in February 1988 when Svend Robinson, an NDP MP first elected in 1979 representing the then mostly blue-collared riding of Burnaby, came out publicly. Despite facing much abuse after the announcement, he went on to become one of the longest serving MPs with 25 years in parliament. In the following 16 years until Robinson stepped down in 2004, three other sitting MPs came out while in office - Réal Ménard of the Bloc, Robinson's close ally and fellow BC NDP MP Libby Davies, and Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MP Scott Brison who crossed the floor to the Liberals a year after coming out and went on to become the first openly LGBT cabinet minister, serving in the cabinet of both Paul Martin and Justin Trudeau.

The 2004 general election returned the first two MPs who were openly gay when first elected: Robinson's aide and successor Bill Siksay and Ontario Liberal MP Mario Silva, and brought the number of openly LGBTQ sitting MPs to five.

The 2021 general election returned nine openly LGBTQ MPs, the high watermark for LGBT representation in parliament and with representation from the three main national parties (four Liberals, three NDPs, and two Conservatives). Three of those MPs served in cabinet concurrently between 2021 and 2024, the highest number of LGBTQ cabinet members to date.

By 2025 however, all three ministers have stepped down from cabinet and opted not to seek re-election. The 2025 election also saw the defeat or standing down of all three NDP MPs, reducing the rank of LGBTQ MPs to four (two Liberal and two Conservatives).

It is also noteworthy that of the three most established LGBTQ enclaves in Canada's three largest cities (Church and Wellesley in Toronto, Le Village gai in Montreal, and the Davie Village in Vancouver), not one have been represented by openly LGBTQ MPs.

Number of openly LGBT MPs in each parliament

Parliament		Openly LGBT MPs									Ministry / Openly LGBT cabinet members
Duration	Seats	Lib		Con /P.C.		NDP		BQ		Total
33rd (1984 - 1988)	282						1 Robinson [a]			1		24th (Mulroney)	0
34th (1988 - 1993)	295									1
												25th (Campbell)	0
35th (1993 - 1997)	295								1 Ménard [b]	2		26th (Chrétien)	0
36th (1997 - 2000)	301						2 Robinson Davies			3
37th (2000 - 2004)	301				1 Brison					4
			1 Brison [c]									27th (Martin)	0
38th (2004 - 2006)	308		2 Brison, Silva				2 Davies Siksay			5			1 Brison
39th (2006 - 2008)	308									5		28th (Harper)	0
40th (2008 - 2011)	308		3 Brison, Silva Oliphant						1 ➘ 0 Ménard [d]	6 ➘5
41st (2011 - 2015)	308		1 Brison				4 ➚ 5 [e] Davies, Garrison Morin, Toone, Scott			5 ➚6
42nd (2015 - 2019)	338		4 ➘ 3 [f] Brison, Oliphant Boissonnault O'Regan				2 Garrison, Benson			6 ➘5		29th (J.Trudeau)	2 ➘ 1 Brison O'Regan
43rd (2019 - 2021)	338		2 Oliphant, O'Regan		1 Duncan		1 Garrison			4			1 O'Regan
44th (2021 - 2025)	338		4 Oliphant, O'Regan Boissonnault St-Onge		2 Duncan Lastman		3 Garrison, Barron Desjarlais			9			3 O'Regan Boissonnault St-Onge
45th (Elected 2025)	343		2 Oliphant Klassen							4		30th (Carney)	0

1. Rau, Krishna. "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
2. Zeidler, Maryse (2008-02-24). "30 years after Canada's first MP came out, LGBT politicians still face challenges". CBC News. CBC.
3. Réal Ménard, MP for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (1995-04-26). "Legal Recognition of Same Sex Spouses". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Canada: House of Commons. p. 11832.
4. "Bloc MP runs for municipal politics". CTV News, June 25, 2009.

LEGEND  Light purple background : indicates the person was not openly LGBT while in office (entire row) or when first elected (first elected cell). Term of Office: Year without specific date indicates at general election held that year Party affiliation: █  Liberal █  Conservative █  New Democratic █  Bloc Québécois █  Progressive Conservative

MPs currently in office

		Member	Province (electoral district)	First elected	Notes
		Hon. Rob Oliphant (b. 1956)	Ontario (Don Valley West)	2008 (out of office 2011-15)	Privy Counsellor (since 2021), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (since 2019). The most senior out legislator (by first election) currently in office (as of October 2024) [g]
		Eric Duncan (b. 1987)	Ontario (Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry)	2019
		Melissa Lantsman (b. 1984)	Ontario (Thornhill)	2021	Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition (since September 2022)
		Ernie Klassen	British Columbia (South Surrey—White Rock)	2025	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries (since June 2025)

Former MPs

		Member	Province (electoral district)	Term		Notes
				Start	End
		Hon. Heward Grafftey (1928-2010)	Quebec (Brome—Missisquoi)	1958	1968 (defeated)	Came out publicly after retirement from parliament. Cabinet minister in the Clark ministry
				1972	1980 (defeated)
		Hon. Charles Lapointe (b. 1944)	Quebec (Charlevoix)	1974	1984 (defeated)	Came out after retirement from parliament Cabinet minister in both of P.E. Trudeau ministries (20th & 22nd)
		Svend Robinson (b. 1952)	British Columbia (Burnaby—Douglas)	1979	2004 (stood down)	Became the first openly LGBT sitting MP when came out publicly while in office in 1988
		Ian Waddell (1942-2021)	British Columbia (Vancouver Kingsway 1979–1988, Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam 1988–93)	1979	1993 (defeated)	Later BC MLA (1996–2001) and minister (1998–2001). Came out as bisexual during his 2004 bid to return to parliament.
		Réal Ménard (b. 1962)	Quebec (Hochelaga)	1993	2009-09-16 (resigned)	First LGBT MP from Quebec.
		Hon. Scott Brison (b. 1967)	Nova Scotia (Kings—Hants)	1997	2000-07-24 (resigned)	Came out publicly while in office in 2002 First openly LGBTQ member of cabinet, minister in the Martin and J. Trudeau ministries First openly LGBT MP from Nova Scotia First openly LGBT candidate for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative (2003) and the Liberal (2006) parties Crossed the floor from Progressive Conservative to the Liberal in 2003.
				2000	2019-02-10 (resigned)
		Libby Davies (b. 1953)	British Columbia (Vancouver East)	1997	2015 (stood down)	Became the first openly LGBT woman in parliament when she publicly revealed in 2001 that she was in a same-sex relationship.
		Bill Siksay (b. 1955)	British Columbia (Burnaby—Douglas)	2004	2011 (stood down)	First LGBT MP who was openly LGBT when first elected (along with Mario Silva)
		Mario Silva (b. 1966)	Ontario (Davenport)	2004	2011 (defeated)	First LGBT MP who was openly LGBT when first elected (along with Bill Siksay) First LGBT MP from Ontario
		Raymond Gravel (1952-2014)	Quebec (Repentigny)	2006-11-27	2008 (stood down)	As a Catholic priest received bishop's dispensation to seek election, but was later ordered by the Vatican to stand down. Did not came out publicly during his lifetime, acknowledged his homosexuality to biographer. [1] [2]
		Randall Garrison (b. 1950)	British Columbia (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke)	2011	2025 (stood down)
		Dany Morin (b. 1985)	Quebec (Chicoutimi—Le Fjord)	2011	2015 (defeated)
		Philip Toone (b. 1965)	Quebec (Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine)	2011	2015 (defeated)
		Craig Scott (b. 1962)	Ontario (Toronto Danforth)	2012-03-19	2015 (defeated)
		Sheri Benson (b. 1963)	Saskatchewan (Saskatoon West)	2015	2019 (defeated)	First LGBT MP from Saskatchewan Deputy leader of the NDP (2019)
		Hon. Randy Boissonnault (b. 1970)	Alberta (Edmonton Centre)	2015	2019 (defeated)	First LGBT MP from Alberta Cabinet minister in the J. Trudeau ministry (2021–24)
				2021	2025 (stood down)
		Hon. Seamus O'Regan (b. 1971)	Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's South—Mount Pearl)	2015	2025 (stood down)	First LGBT MP from Newfoundland and Labrador Cabinet minister in the J. Trudeau ministry (2017–24)
		Lisa Marie Barron	British Columbia (Nanaimo—Ladysmith)	2021	2025 (defeated)
		Blake Desjarlais (b. 1993)	Alberta (Edmonton Griesbach)	2021	2025 (defeated)	First MP to be identified as two-spirit
		Hon. Pascale St-Onge (b. 1977)	Quebec (Brome—Missisquoi)	2021	2025 (stood down)	First lesbian cabinet minister, minister in the J. Trudeau ministry (2021–24)

Senate

Party affiliation or grouping:█  Liberal █  Conservative █  Independent Senators Group █  Progressive Senate Group

Senators currently in office

		Senator	Province (division)	Term			Notes
				Appointed on advice of		Mandatory Retirement
		Hon. René Cormier (b. 1956)	New Brunswick		2016-11-10 (J. Trudeau)	2031-04-27
		Hon. Kim Pate (b. 1959)	Ontario		2016-11-10} (J. Trudeau)	2034-11-10
		Hon. Marnie McBean (b. 1968)	Ontario		2023-12-20 (J. Trudeau)	2043-01-28
		Hon. Kristopher Wells (b. 1971)	Alberta		2024-08-31 (J. Trudeau)	2046-10-07
		Hon. Martine Hébert (b. 1965)	Quebec (Victoria)		2025-02-27 (J. Trudeau)	2040-10-07
		Hon. Duncan Wilson (b. 1967)	British Columbia		2025-02-28 (J. Trudeau)	2042-09-26

Former senators

		Senator	Province (division)	Term			Notes
				Appointed on advice of		End
		Hon. Laurier LaPierre (1929-2012)	Ontario		2001-06-13 Chrétien	2004-11-21	First openly LGBT person to be appointed senator
		Hon. Nancy Ruth (b. 1942)	Ontario (Cluny) [h]		2005-03-24 (Martin)	2017-01-06	First out lesbian to be appointed to senator. Initially affiliated with the Progressive Conservative (2005–08), joined the Conservative caucus in March 2008.

Provincial politicians

Overview

The 2024 New Brunswick provincial election ended New Brunswick's, the most socially conservative province in Canada, status as the last holdout among Canada's 13 provinces and territories from electing openly LGBT persons to its legislature. With the election of New Brunswick Liberal MLA Luke Randall, all Canadian provinces and territories have had elected at least one openly LGBTQ member to its legislature.

Randall was appointed to the new Liberal Holt ministry formed immediately after the election. With his appointment, openly LGBTQ persons has served in the provincial cabinet of eight of Canada's ten provinces plus Northwest Territories. The provincial governments of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador, along with the territorial government of Yukon and Nunavut have not had an openly LGBTQ provincial cabinet or territorial minister to date. (It should be noted however that the second out federal minister in Canada Shamus O'Regan represented a Newfoundland & Labrador electoral district.) Openly LGBTQ politicians have been cabinet members of Liberal ministries in British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Islands plus in Ottawa, the NDP ministries in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, and in Parti Quebecois governments in Quebec. While a few former conservative provincial minister had came out after their time office, no openly LGBTQ person has ever occupied cabinet seats in any conservative government at either provincial or federal level. ^[i]

Two Canadian provinces, the largest and the smallest, had been governed by out Premiers. Kathleen Wynne was Premier of Ontario from 2013 to 2018, while Wade MacLauchlan was Premier of Prince Edward Island from 2015 to 2019. Both members of their provinces' Liberal parties, the both commenced their premiership upon securing their party leadership, and subsequently led their parties to majority victories at general elections.

Current presence

As of September 2025, all provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island and Northwest Territories has at least one openly LGBTQ person currently in their legislature.

LGBTQ presence in individual provincial legislatures are usually exclusively on either the government or the opposition aisles. The elections held in 2022 in Quebec, in 2024 in British Columbia and 2025 in Newfoundland and Labrador returned out members in both the resulting government and opposition caucuses. However, the only out government MNA in Quebec Youri Chassin left the CAQ caucus in September 2024, and the only out BC opposition member Elenore Sturko was expelled from the Conservative caucus in September 2025. The 2025 Newfoundland and Labrador election saw the election of Liberal MHA Keith White and 95% landslide reelection of Progressive Conservative MHA Lela Evans, making the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly the only provincial legislature where both the government and the opposition caucuses consist of an out member.

As noted, there has been no out cabinet minister in any conservative ministries in Canada, including the six current conservative or right-of-centre provincial governments. All three non-conservative provincial ministries currently in office boast out cabinet members in their ranks: transport minister Mike Farnworth and indigenous relations minister Spencer Chandra Herbert in the NDP Eby ministry of British Columbia; deputy premier and health minister Uzoma Asagwara and transport minister Lisa Naylor in the NDP Kinew ministry of Manitoba; economic development minister Luke Randall in the Liberal Holt ministry of New Brunswick.

One significant provincial party, the Conservative Party of Quebec, is currently led by an openly gay leader, Éric Duhaime. It won 13% of the vote in the 2022 election under Duhaime's leadership, but did not win any seats.

LEGEND  Light purple background : indicates the person was not openly LGBT while in office (entire row) or when first elected (first elected cell) Term of Office: Year without specific date indicates at general election held that year Party affiliation: All provinces not otherwise specified: █  Liberal █  Progressive Conservative █  New Democratic Specific to Quebec: █  Coalition Avenir Québec █  Québec solidaire █  Parti Québécois Specific to British Columbia: █  Conservative █  Liberal

(As of the conclusion of the November 2025 Newfoundland & Labrador election)

Status of Members	BC		AB		SK		MB		ON		QC		NB		NS		PE		NL		YK		NT		NU		Total		Fed
Latest election	2024		2023		2024		2023		2025		2022		2024		2024		2023		2025		2025		2023		2021				2025
in cabinet		2						2						1													5
in government caucus		1						2												1							4			2
in opposition		1		3		1				4		1				2				1		1				1	18			2
												1
										1		1
Total	4		3		1		4		5		3		1		2		0		2		1		0		1		27			4

List of current members of provincial & territorial legislatures

		Member	Province (electoral district)	First Elected	Notes
		Mike Farnworth	British Columbia (Port Coquitlam)	1991 (out of office 2001 to 2005)	Publicly acknowledged being gay during his 2011 bid for NDP leadership Cabinet minister in the G. Clark, Miller, Dosanjh ministries (1997-2001) and the Horgan and Eby ministries (since 2017), Deputy Premier (2021-24); contested the NDP leadership in 2011 (runner up to Adrian Dix) and 2014 (withdraw resulting in the acclaimation of John Horgan) Currently the longest serving MLA in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and the longest serving elected public office holder among all out politicians currently in office. [j]
		Spencer Chandra Herbert	British Columbia (Vancouver-West End)	2008-10-29	Cabinet minister in the Eby ministries (since 2024) The most senior out legislator with continuous tenured currently in office (as of October 2024) [g] . Served three additional years as an elected Vancouver Park Board Commissioner prior to being elected MLA.
		Mable Elmore	British Columbia (Vancouver-Kensington)	2009	The most senior out woman legislator currently in office (as of May 2022) [k]
		Manon Massé	Quebec (Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques)	2014	Co-spokesperson (co-leader) of the Québec solidaire (2017-23)
		Terence Kernaghan	Ontario (London North Centre)	2018
		Youri Chassin	Quebec (Saint-Jérôme)	2018
		Jennifer Maccarone	Quebec (Westmount–Saint-Louis)	2018
		Janis Irwin	Alberta (Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood)	2019
		Lela Evans	Newfoundland and Labrador (Torngat Mountains)	2019	Left the PCs to sit as an independent in 2021, joined the NDP in 2022, and returned to the PCs in 2024
		Uzoma Asagwara	Manitoba (Union Station)	2019	Deputy Premier and cabinet minister in the Kinew ministry
		Lisa Naylor	Manitoba (Wolseley)	2019	Cabinet minister in the Kinew ministry (since 2023)
		Lane Tredger	Yukon (Whitehorse Centre)	2021	Yukon's first out non-binary MLA, formally changed name while in office in 2023 House leader of the Yukon NDP (since 2021)
		Lisa Lachance	Nova Scotia (Halifax Citadel-Sable Island)	2021
		Janet Brewster	Nunavut (Iqaluit-Sinaa)	2021
		Lise Vaugeois	Ontario (Thunder Bay—Superior North)	2022
		Kristyn Wong-Tam	Ontario (Toronto Centre)	2022
		Elenore Sturko	British Columbia (Surrey-Cloverdale)	2022-09-10
		Nathaniel Teed	Saskatchewan (Saskatoon Meewasin)	2022-09-26	First out MLA of Saskatchewan
		Brooks Arcand-Paul	Alberta (Edmonton-West Henday)	2023
		Court Ellingson	Alberta (Calgary-Foothills)	2023
		Tyler Blashko	Manitoba (Lagimodière)	2023
		Logan Oxenham	Manitoba (Kirkfield Park)	2023
		Luke Randall	New Brunswick (Fredericton North)	2024	First out MLA of New Brunswick Cabinet minister in the Holt ministry (since 2024)
		Rod Wilson	Nova Scotia (Halifax Armdale)	2024
		Catherine McKenney	Ontario (Ottawa Centre)	2025
		Tyler Watt	Ontario (Nepean)	2025
		Keith White	Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's West)	2025

Historical

Prominent provincial office holders known to be LGBTQ

Unlike their British and American peers, Canadian journalists has mostly maintained a tradition of respecting the private lives of political figures, with few politicians involuntarily outed. However, the first documented LGBT provincial politician actually predated confederation. George Herchmer Markland, a protegee of Bishop John Strachan, was first appointed to the Legislative Council of Upper Canada in 1820, and to the Executive Council in 1822 when he was only 32. A leading figure of the Family Compact by the late 1830s, he resigned from all public offices in 1838 in exchange for having the investigation into his potential liaisons with several young men dropped. ^[3] Homosexual activities were technically punishable by death until 1868.

It is with some irony the most socially conservative province in Canada produced the earliest provincial political figure who's homosexuality is broadly accepted by historians and political commentators, and not just any provincial legislator, but a premier who the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative party to four majority wins starting in 1970 (though only once winning the popular vote) before losing every seat they held in 1987. Nicknamed Disco Dick, Richard Hatfield's dramatic political career, flamboyant personality and penchant for big city nightlife captivated political watchers throughout the country. Although he never acknowledged his sexuality to the public during his life time, he also expended no energy hiding it, which may explain the open taunting by opposing politicians and internal rivals alike. (He was called "Mama's boy" by leadership rival Charles Van Horne, who later served in his cabinet, and was called "faded pansy" by Liberal leader Joseph Daigle). The press generally refrained from speculation about his sexuality however, and it was not until three years after his death his sexuality was formally confirmed in the press by cabinet colleagues and journalists.

Prominent provincial office holders who came out after leaving office

A number of prominent provincial ministers from Ontario and Quebec in the 1970s and 1980s came out after leaving public office.

• Claude Charron and Guy Joron were both elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1970 election and were among the youngest ministers in the Lévesque government when the Parti Quebecois won power for the first time in 1976. Neither man was out to the general public during his time in politics, although both were out among their colleagues in the assembly. ^[4]
• Keith Norton, who was first elected in 1977 served as Ontario's health minister in the Davis ministry during the early years of the AIDS crisis and as education minister during the brief ministry of right-winger Premier Frank Miller, lost his Kingston seat when the Miller ministry went down to defeat in 1985. He moved to Toronto and sought a comeback in 1990 as an openly gay candidate in the riding with the city's gay district, against Liberal Attorney General Ian Scott who not publicly out at the time. Norton's move was derided for opportunism and for hypocrisy, and he finished a distant third.
• Ian Scott, who served as Ontario's Attorney General in the Peterson ministry and MPP for the gay district in Toronto, was openly gay to his liberal colleagues and legal peers during his time in politics. The media did not report the fact that he was gay or that he was in a long term same-sex relationship with a man who was the a son of veteran conservative MPP Paul Yakabuski, who was still in office for Scott's first two year in office (Yakabuski died the day the 1987 election was called). Scott resigned his seat in 1992 and publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time shortly after in 1993, through the obituary of his long-time partner. ^[5]
• Dave Cooke, first elected NDP MPP in 1977 as a 24-year-old social worker and a senior minister throughout the Rae Ministry, disclosed his sexuality to his cabinet colleagues. A quarter century after leaving public office, Cooke formally came out during a TVO interview in 2022, noting that he "attended way too many funerals of friends who died of AIDS... I don’t want to die with people thinking I was too embarrassed to be public about this.” ^[6]

The earliest out provincial office holders

The first openly LGBTQ provincial candidate was Peter Maloney, who carried the Ontario Liberal banner in the district of St. George in downtown Toronto in 1971. He was trounced by Progressive Conservative incumbent Allan Lawrence, a senior cabinet minister who a few months prior came within 44 votes of becoming premier at the provincial PC leadership convention.

Quebec is the home of the first openly LGBTQ legislator in Canada, electing in 1985 Liberal MNA Maurice Richard (who also has the distinction as the first openly LGBTQ person elected to any public office in Canada, having been elected mayor of Bécancour in 1976). The province further produced Canada's next two out provincial legislators when it elected André Boisclair and André Boulerice in 1989. Boisclair, the record holder as the youngest MNA until 2007, has the distinction of being the first out LGBTQ cabinet minister anywhere in Canada, having been tapped to join Premier Bouchard's cabinet as immigration minister in 1996. Boulerice joined the Landry ministry as a secretary of state (junior minister) in March 2001, which made him the third out cabinet minister in Canada behind a peer from BC.

In the English speaking provinces, British Columbia in 1996 elected its first two openly gay MLAs, NDP Tim Stevenson and Liberal Ted Nebbeling, both went on to serve in provincial cabinet later. Stevenson became employment minister in 2000 toward the end of the NDP time in power, making him the second out cabinet minister in Canada, and Nebbeling join the Campbell ministry as a minister of state when the Liberals ousted the NDP in June 2001. Ontario and Manitoba both elected their first out legislator in 1999, Ontario Liberal George Smitherman in June and Manitoba NDPer Jim Rondeau in September, dramatically by a three vote margin. They would both become their respective province's first our cabinet member in 2003, Smitherman in June as health minister when the Liberal formed government and Rondeau in November as a junior minister of health after a term on the backbench.

First elected as an Ontario Liberal MPP in October 2003, Kathleen Wynne was the first out woman to serve in a provincial legislature, and the first out woman to be elected at either the federal or provincial levels. (NDP MP Libby Davis came out in 2001 but did not face re-election as an out woman until 2004) Parti Quebecois MNA Agnès Maltais, who was first elected in 1998, became the second out woman in a provincial legislature when she came out in November 2003, and secured her first reelection as an out women in March 2007, just a two months ahead of Manitoba's NDP MLA Jennifer Howard, the third out women in a provincial legislature. Wynne was also the first out woman cabinet minister anywhere in Canada, having been appointed education minister in the in McGuinty ministry in September 2006. Howard joined the Doer ministry in Manitoba in 2009 as labour and immigration minister, which made her the second out woman cabinet minister in Canada, and would later served as finance minister in the Selinger ministry before resigning with four other cabinet member in 2014 to call for Selinger's ouster. While Maltais previously served in cabinet under Premiers Bouchard and Landry, the PQ did not return to power until the third election after her coming out (slipping briefly to third place under out leader Bosclair), delaying her chance to serve as an out woman cabinet minister until September 2012, when she joined the Marois government as employment and labour minister.

List of former members of provincial & territorial legislatures

		Member	Province (electoral district)	In Office		Notes
				Start	End
		Richard Hatfield (1931-91)	New Brunswick (Carleton Centre)	1961-06-19	1987	Premier of New Brunswick 1970-87 Never publicly acknowledged being gay during his lifetime, but generally known and assumed, and Hatfield generally did not bother to deny while Premier, his sexuality has been more formally discussed on the record by contemporaries after his death
		Claude Charron (b. 1946)	Quebec (Saint-Jacques)	1970	1982-04-13	Comfirmed being gay in his memoir published in 1983. Cabinet Minister (Lévesque government)
		Guy Joron (1940-2017)	Quebec (Gouin)	1970	1973	Out among his caucus colleagues in the legislature, but not to the general public while in office. Cabinet Minister in the
			Quebec (Mille-Îles)	1976	1981
		Keith Norton (1941-2010)	Ontario (Kingston and the Islands)	1975	1985	Came out in 1990 while seeking a comeback in the district that included Toronto's gay village Cabinet Minister in the Davis & Miller ministries
		Dave Cooke (b.1952)	Ontario (Windsor—Riverside)	1977	1997-01-19	Came out after retirement from the legislature Cabinet Minister in the Rae ministry
		Phil Gillies (b.1954)	Ontario (Brantford)	1981	1987	Came out after retirement from the legislature Cabinet Minister in the Miller ministry
		Maurice Richard (b. 1946)	Quebec (Nicolet—Yamaska)	1985	1994	First provincial legislator in Canada to be out as gay during his career in politics.
		Ian Scott (1934-2006)	Ontario (St. George—St. David)	1985	1992-04-04	Openly gay to political colleagues while in office, first public acknowledgement via partner's obituary a year after leaving public office. Attorney General in the Peterson ministry
		André Boisclair (b. 1966)	Quebec (Gouin)	1989	2004-08-17	As leader of the Parti Québécois (2005-07) and the Quebec's Leader of the Opposition, the first openly LGBT person in Canada to lead a party represented in a legislature First openly LGBTQ person appointed to a cabinet in Canada (in 1996), was cabinet minister in the Bouchard and Landry governments Held record as the youngest person elected MNA until 2007
			Quebec (Pointe-aux-Trembles)	2006-08-14	2007-11-15
		André Boulerice (b. 1946)	Quebec (Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques)	1989	2005-09-12	Secretary of state/minister delegate (junior Cabinet Minister) in the
		Dominic Agostino (1959-2004)	Ontario (Hamilton East)	1995	2004-03-24	Openly gay to political colleagues while in office.
		Andrew Thomson (b. 1967)	Saskatchewan (Regina South)	1995	2007	Came out after retirement from the legislature Cabinet Minister in the Calvert ministry
		Ted Nebbeling (1943-2009)	British Columbia (West Vancouver-Garibaldi)	1996	2005	First openly LGBT MLA in British Columbia (along with Tim Stevenson) Cabinet member in the Campbell ministry
		Ian Waddell (1942-2021)	British Columbia (Vancouver-Fraserview)	1996	2001	Came out after retirement from the legislature Served as MP 1979-88
		Tim Stevenson (b. 1945)	British Columbia (Vancouver-Burrard)	1996	2001	First openly LGBT MLA in British Columbia (along with Ted Nebbeling) Minister of State in the Dosanjh ministry
		Agnès Maltais (b. 1956)	Quebec (Taschereau)	1998	2018	First lesbian MNA of Quebec, came out while in office in 2003 Cabinet Minister in the Bouchard, & Marois governments
		Jim Rondeau	Manitoba (Assiniboia)	1999	2016	Manitoba's first openly LGBTQ MLA and cabinet minister Cabinet member in the Doer and Selinger ministries
		George Smitherman	Ontario (Toronto Centre)	1999	2010-01-04	Ontario's First openly LGBT MPP (elected or being in office) and cabinet minister (as a member and deputy premier of the McGuinty ministry) in Ontario
		Dale Eftoda	Yukon (Riverdale North)	2000	2002
		Cecil Clarke (b. 1968)	Nova Scotia (Cape Breton North)	2001-03-06	2011-03-25	Not out during his term in the legislature; came out later while serving as a mayor Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly (2006-07) Cabinet Minister in the Rodney MacDonald ministry
		Lorne Mayencourt (b. 1957)	British Columbia (Vancouver-Burrard)	2001	2008-09-13
		Jim Watson (b. 1961)	Ontario (Ottawa West—Nepean)	2003	2010-02-01	Came out in 2019 while serving his fourth term as Mayor of Ottawa Cabinet Minister in the McGuinty ministry
		Kathleen Wynne (b. 1953)	Ontario (Don Valley West)	2003-10-02	2022	Canada's first openly LGBT first minister (2013-18) Ontario's first lesbian MPP and cabinet minister (as a member of the McGuinty ministry), Ontario's first women premier Ontario held the record as largest population with a LGBT government leader until 2024 (when Gabriel Attal was appointed Prime Minister of France)
		Doug Routley (b. 1961)	British Columbia (Nanaimo-North Cowichan)	2005	2024	Came out as bisexual in 2018 while in office
		Nicholas Simons (b. 1964/65)	British Columbia (Powell River-Sunshine Coast)	2005	2024	Cabinet Minister in the Horgan and Eby ministries
		Cheri DiNovo (b. 1951)	Ontario (Parkdale—High Park)	2006-09-14	2017-12-31
		Paul Ferreira (b. 1973)	Ontario (York South—Weston)	2007-02-28	2007
		Sylvain Gaudreault (b. 1970)	Quebec (Jonquière)	2007	2022	Cabinet Minister in the Marois government Leader of the Opposition in Quebec & Interim Leader of the Parti Québécois (2016)
		Jennifer Howard	Manitoba (Fort Rouge)	2007	2016	Cabinet Minister in the Selinger ministry
		Jenn McGinn	British Columbia (Vancouver-Fairview)	2008-10-29	2009	British Columbia's first openly lesbian MLA
		Glen Murray (b. 1957)	Ontario (Toronto Centre)	2010-02-04	2017-09-01	Cabinet Minister in the McGuinty & Wynne ministries
		Gerry Rogers	Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's Centre)	2011	2019	Newfoundland and Labrador's first openly LGBTA MHA
		Réjean Hébert (b. 1955)	Quebec (Saint-François)	2012	2014	Cabinet Minister in the Marois government
		Jennifer Rice (b. 1973/74)	British Columbia (North Coast)	2013	2024
		Joanne Bernard (b. 1963)	Nova Scotia (Dartmouth North)	2013	2017	Cabinet Minister in the McNeil ministry
		Wade MacLauchlan (b. 1954)	Prince Edward Island (York-Oyster Bed)	2015	2019	PEI's first openly LGBTQ Premier (2015-19) and MLA
		Michael Connolly (b. 1994)	Alberta (Calgary-Hawkwood)	2015	2019
		Ricardo Miranda (b. 1976)	Alberta Calgary-Cross)	2015	2019	Cabinet Minister in the Notley ministry
		Estefan Cortes-Vargas (b. 1991)	Alberta (Strathcona-Sherwood Park)	2015	2019
		Julie Green	Northwest Territories (Yellowknife Centre)	2015	2023	Member of the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories
		Jill Andrew	Ontario (Toronto—St. Paul's)	2018	2025
		Suze Morrison (b. 1988)	Ontario (Toronto Centre)}}	2018	2022
		Jeremy Roberts (b. 1991)	Ontario (Ottawa West—Nepean)	2018	2022

Out first ministers and party leaders

By nature of the Westminster system of government, securing a political party's leadership is a prerequisite for becoming a first minister at either the federal or provincial level.

Out Premiers of the largest and smallest provinces

Kathleen Wynne won the Ontario Liberal Party leadership contest in January 2013, and consequently assumed the premiership of Ontario in February 2013, becoming the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as first minister in Canada. As Canada's largest province, Ontario's population stood at over 13 million at the start of her premiership. Under her leadership, the Ontario Liberals increased their seat count and popular vote at the 2014 Ontario Election, and returned to majority status. Her premiership's significance to LGBTQ political representation is further discussed in the next subsection.

Just over two years later in 2015, the province with the smallest population, Prince Edward Island, produced Canada second's out first minister. Following the surprise resignation of incumbent Premier Robert Ghiz, Wade MacLauchlan, a legal scholar and former president of the University of Prince Edward Island who's only electoral experience was on the council of the small rural municipality of North Shore (population just shy of 2000), secured the PEI Liberal leadership without competition and became the province's premier in February 2015. The island's population at the time was approximately 140,000, or about 1/100th of Ontario. MacLauchlan led the party to a renewed majority in the 2015 election. Despite losing 10% of its vote share, the PEI Liberal Party only suffered a slight loss in seat counts due to the emergence of the Green Party and resurgence of the NDP as viable alternatives to its primary rival, the Conservative Party.

Wynne and MacLauchlan were respectively the first lesbian and gay man serve as provincial premier in Canada and the first lesbian and gay man to have led their party to electoral victories. However, they also both led their parties to catastrophic third place defeat in the subsequent elections. In 2018, Ontario Liberals recorded their worst even electoral results, losing party status. In 2019, the PEI Liberals suffered a further loss of 10% of the popular vote, and a personal defeat for Premier MacLauchlan in his own district by a hundred votes.

Wynne's Ontario - record holder as the largest population with an openly LGBTQ head of government

Wynne sought to succeed Dalton McGuinty after serving for six years in his ministry holding major portfolios including education, transport, municipal affairs and indigenous affairs. She entered the 2013 Ontario Liberal leadership convention as the underdog to Sandra Pupatello who was backed by twice as many caucus colleagues. Wynne however had posted results exceeding expectations at various stages leading up to the convention and her candidacy was boosted by fellow gay candidate Glen Murray, who dropped out of the race a few weeks prior and went on campaign tour with Wynne in the final weeks of the campaign. Her convention speech, considered by veteran TVO journalist Steve Paiken as the most impactful convention speech by a leadership candidate ^[7] , addressed her sexuality head-on:

"When I ran in 2003, I was told that the people of North Toronto and Thorncliffe Park were not ready to elect a gay woman. Well, apparently they were... I don’t believe the people of Ontario judge their leaders on the basis of race, colour or sexual orientation. I don’t believe they hold that prejudice in their hearts. They judge us on our merits, on our abilities, on our expertise, on our ideas – because that is how everyone deserves to be judged, that is how we want our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews to be judged." ^[8]

Following her surprisingly strong first ballot performance (only two votes behind the frontrunner), she secured the backing of three of the four male candidates eliminated in the earlier ballots, and emerged victorious on the third ballot. By nature of having secured the leadership of the governing party, she became Ontario's first woman Premier in February 2013, and Canada's first ever out first minister. The Ontario Liberals under her leadership regained majority status at the 2014 election, making her the first openly LGBTQ person in Canada to lead their party to an electoral victory. She remained Premier until 2018, when she led the Liberals to its worst defeat in history. Her party's spectacular fall notwithstanding, her five-year premiership was of global significant to the advancement of LGBTQ political leadership in a number of ways.

• When she became Premier in February 2013, Ontario with its population of over 13 million became the jurisdiction with largest population with an openly LGBTQ head of government anywhere in the world. It displaced Belgium (held the record with population of 11 million since 2011, when out Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo, was appointed) for this distinction and held the record for 11 years until being displaced by France in 2024 (when Gabriel Attal was appointed Prime Minister of France)
• With her 2014 electoral victory, Ontario displaced Wisconsin, U.S.A. as the jurisdiction with largest population to have democratically elected a LGBTQ person to hold a jurisdiction wide office (Wisconsin's population was over 5.7 million when Tammy Baldwin was elected as one of its US Senator in November 2012). Ontario held this distinction for 5 years, and was overtaken by California in 2018 (California's population stood was just shy of 40 million when Ricardo Lara was elected its Insurance Commissioner, one of the ten offices to be elected state wide. Lara was reelected in 2022)
• With her 2014 electoral victory, Ontario also displaced Sicily as the jurisdiction with largest population ever having elected a LGBTQ head of government (its population of 5 million elected Rosario Crocetta as President of its regional government in October 2012). As of 2025, no jurisdiction with a larger population has elected an openly LGBTQ head of government. The State of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil, with a population of 11 million, having elected Brazil's first out state governor Eduardo Leite in 2018 and again in 2022, is the only other jurisdiction in the world with a population greater than ten million to have elected an openly LGBTQ head of government.

Perilous paths for out party leaders

Boisclair made history again in November 2005 when he secured a first ballot victory against future premier Pauline Marois and seven other contestants in the 2005 Parti Quebecois leadership contest to become the leader of the 45-member strong official opposition of Quebec. His victory made him Canada's first out leader of a political party with parliamentary presence, and was the peak of his political career. Under Boisclair's leadership, the PQ lost its position as official opposition at the 2007 Quebec election. His exit was further hastened when he initiated bickering with BQ leader Gilles Duceppe. Parti Québécois was not the only party to have selected an out leader in 2005 however. Two months earlier, the New Brunswick NDP elected Allison Brewer, a long time associate of Dr. Henry Morgentaler, as leader, making her Canada's first out political party leader. Brewer however never won a seat for herself and her party leadership also ended in electoral humiliation. She led her party to its worst result in 30 years with only 5.1% of the popular vote at the 2006 provincial election. Both Boisclair and Brewer resigned as leaders shortly after.

Following the regrettable leaderships of Boisclair and Brewer, and the ascension of Wynne and MacLauchlan to provincial premiership, two new out provincial party leader emerged in 2017. The Alberta Liberals selected David Khan to be its leader in June 2017. From his selection until Wynne's resignation in June 2018, three provincial liberals party were simultaneously led by openly LGBTQ persons. Khan assumed the leadership of a moribund party, however, with former leader David Swan holding its only seat. Khan effectively presided over the party's final demise, leading the party in the 2019 elections to less than 1% share of the population vote, and himself coming in fourth place in Sawn's final bastion. The story of the other new out leader turned out more positively. In May 2017, Québec solidaire selected Manon Massé, the party's third MNA elected in 2014, the party's female co-leader replacing its founding female co-leader Françoise David. David lead the party for over a decade was resigning both as MNA and as leader due to ill health. ^[9] She was elected co-leader with Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, a prominent leader of the 2012 Quebec student protests who would win his own seat a few days later in a byelection. As the undisputed elder figure in the party, she was the party's lead candidate in the 2018 election, tripling its seat count from 3 to 10. The party maintained its strength and displaced the Parti Quebecois as the third largest party in 2022. After a reasonably successful co-leadership of close to seven years, Massé stepped down as leader in 2023, to date the only out party leader in Canada having completed her leadership without major setbacks.

In April 2021, another out provincial party leader emerged, again in Quebec, when veteran political advisor and radio host Éric Duhaime took over the leadership of the Conservative Party of Quebec, a seeming quixotic project initially. The Quebec Conservative ceased to exist in 1935 after it was merged into the Union Nationale. Its name was revived around 2010 and was a temporary vehicle used by various fringe political figures in the following years. Duhaime presides over a serious revival however, fielding candidates in all 125 district in the 2022 election and increasing the party's vote share by nine fold to close to 13%. As of September 2025, Duhaime is the only openly LGBTQ person leading a political party in Canada.

List of openly LGBTQ party leaders

 Light purple background : indicates the person was not openly LGBT while in office (entire row) or when first elected (first elected cell)

 Light red background : indicates the person served as first minister

Leader			Leadership	In Office		Notes
				Start	End
		Richard Hatfield (1931-91) MLA for Carleton Centre (1961-87)	Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick Premier of New Brunswick (1970-87)	June 1969	October 1987	Led party to majority victories in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 elections, and to losing every seats in the 1987 election. Never publicly acknowledged being gay during his lifetime. See Prominent provincial office holders known to be LGBTQ
		André Boisclair (b. 1966) MNA for Gouin (1989-2004); for Pointe-aux-Trembles (2006-07)	Leader of the Parti Quebecois Leader of the Opposition of Quebec	November 2005	May 2007	The first openly LGBT person in Canada to lead a party represented in a legislature, led party in the 2007 election to third place defeat; also the first openly LGBTQ person appointed (in 1996) to a cabinet in Canada, cabinet minister in the Bouchard and Landry governments
		Allison Brewer (b. 1954) not elected to legislature	Leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party	September 2005	November 2006	Led party in 2006 election, won no seat.
		Kathleen Wynne (b. 1953) MPP for Don Valley West (2003-22)	Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party Premier of Ontario	January 2013	June 2018	The first openly LGBTQ first minister in Canada, first out party leader to lead a party to electoral victory (2014), led party to defeat in 2018 election. The first out woman appointed to a cabinet in Canada when appointed to the McGuinty ministry in 2006
		Wade MacLauchlan (b. 1954) MLA for York-Oyster Bed (2015-19)	Leader of the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island Premier of Prince Edward Island	February 2015	May 2019	First openly gay man to become first minister, led party to majority victory in the 2015 election, and to defeat in the 2019 election PEI's first openly LGBTQ MLA (and only to date)
		Sylvain Gaudreault (b. 1970) MNA for Jonquière (2007-22)	Interim Leader of the Parti Quebecois Leader of the Opposition of Quebec	May 2016	October 2016	Cabinet Minister in the Marois government
		Manon Massé (b.1963) MNA for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques (since 2014)	Co-spokesperson (co-leader) of the Québec solidaire	May 2017	November 2023	The party's lead candidate in the 2018 election
		David Khan (b.1974) not elected to legislature	Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party	June 2017	November 2020	Led party in the 2019 Alberta election to its worst electoral results in history.
		Éric Duhaime (b.1969) has not been elected to the National Assembly	Leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec	April 2021	incumbent	Led party in 2022 election, the party's vote share increased nine fold to 13% but won no seat. Only openly LGBTQ person currently leading a political party of significance in Canada.

Mayors

Mayor	City	Term	Notes
Marianne Alto	Victoria, British Columbia	2022–present
David Bailey	County of Brant, Ontario	2018–present
Cecil Clarke	Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia	2012–2020 2024–present
Eric Duncan	North Dundas, Ontario	2010–2018
Kevin Haché	Caraquet, New Brunswick	2015–2021
Lisa Helps	Victoria, British Columbia	2014–2022
Julie Lemieux	Très-Saint-Rédempteur, Quebec	2017–present	First transgender mayor in Canada
Réal Ménard	Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Quebec	2010–2017
Kevin Morrison	Goderich, Ontario	2014–2018
Glen Murray	Winnipeg, Manitoba	1998–2004
Ted Nebbeling	Whistler, British Columbia	1990–1996
Colin Ratushniak	La Ronge, Saskatchewan	2020–2022
Maurice Richard	Bécancour, Quebec	1975–1985 1995–2013
Jim Watson	Ottawa, Ontario	1997–2000 2010–2022

Municipal councillors

Councillor	City	Term	Notes	Ref
Dominic Agostino	Hamilton City Council	1987–1995
Marianne Alto	Victoria City Council	2018–2022
Keenan Aylwin	Barrie City Council	2018–2022
Carle Bernier-Genest	Montreal City Council	2006–2009
Raymond Blain	Montreal City Council	1986–1992
Rebecca Bligh	Vancouver City Council	2018–present
Evert Botha	Prince Albert City Council	2016–2020
Paul Butler	Trail, British Columbia	2018–present
Robin Buxton Potts	Toronto City Council	2022–2022		[10]
Garett Cochrane	Yellowknife City Council	2022–present		[11]
Conner Copeman	Cumberland, British Columbia	2011–present
Noah Donovan	Quispamsis, New Brunswick	2021–present
Dakota Ekman	Biggar, Saskatchewan	2020–present
Stéphane Émard-Chabot	Ottawa City Council	1994–2000
Jeromy Farkas	Calgary City Council	2017–2021
Brian Fralic	Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia	2012–present
Cameron Frye	Tecumseh	1972–1980	Came out at final council meeting in 1980	[12]
Randall Garrison	Esquimalt, British Columbia	2008–2011
Charlotte Gauthier	Gillams, Newfoundland and Labrador	2020–present
Joy Guyot	Golden, British Columbia	2022–present
Paul Harris	Red Deer City Council	2010–2017
Julien Hénault-Ratelle	Montreal City Council	2021–present
Alan Herbert	Vancouver City Council	1996–1999
Darren Hill	Saskatoon City Council	2006–2024
Aidan Johnson	Hamilton City Council	2014–2018
Reece Van Breda	Sioux Lookout, Ontario	2022–present
Helen Kennedy	East York Borough Council	1988–1991
Cameron Kroetsch	Hamilton City Council	2022–present		[10]
Joy Lachica	Peterborough City Council	2022–present		[10]
Robert Laramée	Montreal City Council	1994–1998 2001–2005
Howard Levine	Toronto City Council	1988–1994	Not out during his political career.
Shawn Lewis	London City Council	2018–present	Deputy mayor 2022–present	[13]
Cat McGurk	Yellowknife City Council	2022–present		[11]
Catherine McKenney	Ottawa City Council	2014–2022
Sherry McKibben	Edmonton City Council	1994–1995
Peter Meiszner	Vancouver City Council	2022–present
Chris Moise	Toronto City Council	2022–present		[10]
Alex Munter	Kanata City Council Ottawa-Carleton Regional Council	1991–1994 (Kanata) 1994–2000 (Ottawa-Carleton)
Michael Phair	Edmonton City Council	1992–2007
Sarah Potts-Halpin	Victoria City Council	2018–2022
Jasmin Parker	Saskatoon City Council	2024–Present
Gordon Price	Vancouver City Council	1986–2002
Kyle Rae	Toronto City Council	1991–2010
Ophelia Ravencroft	St. John's City Council	2021–present
Mark Renaud	Tillsonburg, Ontario	2003–2014
Richard Ryan	Montreal City Council	2013–2021
Serge Sasseville	Montreal City Council	2021–present		[14]
Mario Silva	Toronto City Council	1994–2003
Krista Snow	Halifax City Council	2003–2012
Tim Stevenson	Vancouver City Council	2002–2018		[15]
Lenore Swystun	Saskatoon City Council	2000–2003
Donovan Taplin	Wabana, Newfoundland and Labrador	2013–2017		[16]
Ariel Troster	Ottawa City Council	2022–present		[10]
Sonia Williams	Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador	2013–present
Alex Wilson	Hamilton City Council	2022–present		[10]
Kristyn Wong-Tam	Toronto City Council	2010–2022
Ellen Woodsworth	Vancouver City Council	2002–2011
Russ Wyatt	Winnipeg City Council	2002–2018 2022–present		[17]

Other

People who did not hold a political office at the federal, provincial or municipal levels, but have some other form of political significance.

Person	Role	Notes	Ref
Enza Anderson	Candidate for Mayor of Toronto, 2000
Penny Ballem	City manager of Vancouver, British Columbia, 2008-2015
Betty Baxter	Federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party, 1993
Pierre Bourgault	Leader of the Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale, 1964-1968
Allison Brewer	Leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party, 2005-2006
Lori Campbell	Federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party, 2019
Keith Cole	Candidate for Mayor of Toronto, 2010
Robert Douglas Cook	Sole electoral candidate of the Gay Alliance Toward Equality, 1979
Ross Dowson	Socialist political candidate
Éric Duhaime	Leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, 2021–present
Jim Egan	Representative for Electoral Area B (Comox North) on the Comox-Strathcona Regional District board, 1981-1993	See also Egan v Canada
Norman Elder	Candidate for Toronto City Council
Jamie Lee Hamilton	First known transgender candidate for political office
Kaj Hasselriis	Candidate for Mayor of Winnipeg, 2006
Brent Hawkes	Provincial election candidate for the Ontario New Democratic Party, 1995	See also Operation Soap, Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
Jamey Heath	New Democratic Party of Canada strategist
George Hislop	Toronto City Council candidate, 1980	See also We Demand Rally, Operation Soap
El-Farouk Khaki	Activist, federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party in 2008
Trevor Kirczenow	Activist, academic, federal election candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in 2019 and 2021
David Khan	Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party, 2019-2021
Khelsilem	First Nations band councillor
Amita Kuttner	Interim leader of the Green Party of Canada, 2021-2022
Chris Lea	Leader of the Green Party of Canada, 1990-1996
John Alan Lee	Federal election candidate for the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, 1958
Greg Malone	Federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party, 2000, and the Green Party of Canada, 2019
Peter Maloney	First known gay candidate for political office
Christin Milloy	Provincial election candidate for the Ontario Libertarian Party, 2011
Micheline Montreuil	Federal candidate in 1984 and municipal candidate in 1993
Brenda Murphy	First out LGBTQ Lieutenant-Governor of a province
Peg Norman	Two-time federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party
Jeff Rock	Federal election candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada	See also Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
Mary-Woo Sims	Federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party, 2006 Chief commissioner of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, 1996-2001
Douglas Wilson	Federal election candidate for the New Democratic Party

Notes

1. Robinson announced that he was gay in toward the end of the 33rd parliament, in February 1988. ^[2]
2. Menard acknowledged his own sexuality for the first time during debate on April 26, 1995 by stating in the middle of a speech "(l)a communauté gaie à laquelle j'appartiens est une belle communauté." ("the gay community, to which I belong, is a fine community"). ^[3] . Prior to this date, he participated in debate referring the LGBT community as a third party.
3. Brison came out in December 2002 in advance of his 2003 Progressive Conservative leadership bid. He crossed the floor to the Liberal Party on December 10, 2003 following the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance.
4. Ménard resigned September 16, 2009 to run as a Vision Montreal candidate for borough mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal and was elected. ^[4]
5. Scott elected in a byelection triggered by the death of NDP leader Jack Layton
6. Resigned from cabinet on January 14 and from parliament on February 10, 2019.
7. Upon the retirement of BC NDP MLA Nicholas Simons from the legislature at dissolution in advance of the 2024 BC provincial election. Ontario MP Rob Oliphant was first elected in the 2008 federal election which took place two weeks prior to the provincial byelection that elected Spencer Chandra Herbert. Chandra Herbert's tenure is however continuous, while Oliphant was out of office from 2011 to 2015.
8. Senators from provinces other than Quebec may name a senatorial designation of their own choosing, or use their province as their senatorial division by default.
9. It should be noted however, the BC Liberal Campbell Ministry Ted Nebbeling served in was a coalition of federal conservatives and liberals.
10. Since Farnworth did not come out publicly until 2011, his tenure as an out public office holder would rank behind those of his two out caucus colleagues Spencer Chandra Herbert and Mable Elmore, and Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, the three current office holders elected before 2011 and were out at the start of their time in public offices.
11. Upon the retirement of former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne at the dissolution of the Ontario Legislative Assembly prior to the 2022 Ontario election

References

1. Lafontaine, Yves. "Redécouvrir Raymond Gravel". Fugues. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
2. Gravel, Claude (2015). Raymond Gravel : Entre le doute et l'espoir. Montreal: Libre Expression. p. 48. ISBN   9782764810354.
3. Burns, Robert J. (1976). "MARKLAND, GEORGE HERCHMER (Herkimer)". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography . Vol. IX (1861–1870) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press..
4. Alexandre Duval, Les députés homosexuels de l’Assemblée nationale de 1977 à 2002: un facteur dans l’atteinte de l’égalité juridique des gais et des lesbiennes du Québec?. Fondation Jean-Charles-Bonenfant, June 2014.
5. Scott, Ian; McCormick, Neil (2001). To Make a Difference: A Memoir . Toronto: Stoddart Publishing. ISBN   0-7737-3292-6. OCLC   46627780.
6. Paikin, Steve (2022-11-02). "'It really was a different age': Former Windsor MPP Dave Cooke comes out". www.tvo.org. TVO. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
7. TVO Today (2025-06-24). The Kathleen Wynne's speech that sealed the deal . Retrieved 2025-10-12– via YouTube.
8. The Huffington Post (2013-01-26). "Kathleen Wynne's Speech At Ontario Liberal Convention". HuffPost. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
9. Fragasso-Marquis, Vicky (21 May 2017). "Manon Massé et GND nommés porte-paroles de QS" [Manon Massé and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois named Québec solidaire co-spokespersons]. Le Soleil (in French). La Presse Canadienne. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
10. Dale Smith, "How queer and trans candidates fared in Ontario’s municipal elections". Xtra! , October 28, 2022.
11. Sidney Cohen, "Yellowknife elects new city council". CBC North, October 17, 2022.
12. "Victim of hate mail loses in bid for mayor". The Body Politic , December 1980.
13. Isha Bhargava, "'Our differences are our strengths': London's new mayor and city council sworn in". CBC News London, November 16, 2022.
14. Jérôme Labbé, "Ensemble Montréal perd un premier élu depuis les élections". Ici Radio-Canada Montréal, February 10, 2022.
15. Robin Perelle, "Pioneering gay Vancouver politician won’t run again". Xtra! , January 11, 2018.
16. Noah Laybolt, "Meet the politician who came out — to a town council". CBC News Newfoundland and Labrador, July 19, 2019.
17. Bryce Hoye, "1 new face joins Winnipeg city council, 2 former councillors return to office". CBC News Manitoba, October 26, 2022.