Scarborough Southwest MP Bill Blair to become Canada’s new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

Scarborough Southwest MP and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair will be stepping down from his position in the House of Commons to become Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

The announcement that Blair had been named Canada’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was made by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office on Monday, Feb. 2.

“Mr. Blair brings four decades of experience serving Canadians and protecting their security. During his time as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest, he has served in Canada’s Cabinet as Minister of National Defence, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction,” said the appointment notice.

Blair was first elected as MP for Scarborough Southwest in the 2015 federal election. He was re-elected to the seat in three subsequent federal elections including the most recent in April of 2025.

Prior to entering politics, Blair had a 40-year career as a Toronto police officer, including serving as Police Chief from 2005 until his retirement in 2015 and his decision to run for the MP position in Scarborough Southwest.

During his political career, Blair has held several cabinet portfolios over the last decade, including minister for border security, public safety, and most recently, national defence.

He was not named a minister in the government of newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney in 2025. 

Blair’s resignation will introduce the need for a third expected federal byelection.

The now vacant riding of Scarborough Southwest has a long history of electing Liberals. Despite changing boundaries over the past decades, the riding has been held by members of the Liberal Party since 1997, apart from four years between 2011 and 2015 when the seat was held by Dan Harris of the NDP.

The expected byelections, when they are held, will be of significant interest to members of the federal Liberal Party as they are almost within reach of a majority in the House of Commons.

The other federal byelections that are expected to take place will be in Toronto’s University-Rosedale and Edmonton’s Riverbend ridings.