McCarthy attended Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Elementary School from 1967 to 1976 and went on to Senator O'Connor College School graduating in 1981. He majored in political science at the University of TorontoSt. Michael's College earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with Distinction in 1984. He studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University earning a Bachelor of Laws in 1987. After articling and completing the 30th Bar Admission Course, McCarthy was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1989. He went on to practice law as a barrister and solicitor and was a leading trial lawyer throughout the Province of Ontario for 33 years before being elected to Provincial Parliament in June 2022. He was one of the youngest certified Specialists in Civil Litigation when recognized as such in 1996 by the Law Society of Upper Canada as it then was.
Career
McCarthy joined the law firm of what is now Flaherty McCarthy LLP in 1994. The firm was founded that same year by the Late Honourable Jim Flaherty, former deputy premier, Christine Elliott and Mr. Justice Grant Dow. In addition to a successful career as a trial and appellate lawyer, McCarthy served as a school board trustee from 1993 to 1997 with the Durham Region Separate School Board. He was elected in 1994 winning by just 3 votes and serving as vice-chair in 1996–1997. From 2002 to 2011, McCarthy served as a deputy judge of the small claims court in Durham Region. McCarthy served as a director at the Canada Revenue Agency. He was also an adjunct professor at Durham College in 2010 and at the Faculty of Law Queen's University from 2011 to 2019. In 2021, he appeared before the House of Commons Justice Committee to address delays in the justice system and proposed solutions. He is a fearless defender of the Right to Trial by Jury in civil cases. McCarthy has written and spoken out extensively both on this subject in 2020 and in 2021 [4] on Canada's unique Constitutional provisions.
Awards
McCarthy has been recognized as a leading Ontario Lawyer. In 2019, he was recognized as the Defence Honouree of the Year by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. In 2021, he received an Insurance Law Award of Excellence from the Ontario Bar Association. His contributions to the Administration of Justice include many articles, lectures and seminars in relation to continuing legal education. McCarthy appeared as Trial Counsel in over 100 jury and non-jury trials throughout Ontario and in numerous appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Divisional Court. Many of these appearances resulted in precedent setting decisions which have contributed to the development of a significant body of published Case Law.
McCarthy briefly served as the associate minister of transportation from September 4 to September 22, 2023 and was later shuffled to be the minister of public and business service delivery on September 22, 2023 after the resignation of Kaleed Rasheed.
During the 2025 Ontario general election McCarthy reportedly told a potential voter he was canvassing for that a video explaining Doug Ford wanting to open the Greenbelt for development was fake news and may have been created by artificial intelligence.[3]
Personal life
McCarthy was born in Scarborough, Ontario, to Canadian-born parents of Irish Catholic heritage, Mary and John McCarthy. He is one of their three sons. His brother John McCarthy is a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and his brother Gerry is a member of the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. McCarthy married Kathy Azzopardi on July 25, 1987, at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church. They purchased their first home in Durham Region in 1989. The McCarthys continue to live in Durham Region. Kathy McCarthy recently retired as a psychometrist after 33 years with the Durham Catholic District School Board. The couple have three adult children. Meaghan McCarthy (born in 1992) is a lawyer. Brendan McCarthy (born in 1995) is a story editor at TSN. Jake McCarthy (born in 1998) is a special needs young adult who survived osteosarcoma and is on the autism spectrum.
Party leaders listed first (in bold italics). Government members in bold denotes cabinet. † Party does not have official party status in the Legislature
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