Catherine McKenna practiced competition and international trade law in Canada and Indonesia and was senior negotiator with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in East Timor. She also served as senior advisor on the former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer’s review of Canada’s military justice system. Catherine co-founded Canadian Lawyers Abroad, a charitable organization that works in developing countries and with Indigenous communities in Canada. She served as Executive Director of the Banff Forum, a public policy organization for young leaders. Catherine taught at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Catherine has degrees from McGill University and the London School of Economics. She is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the New York Bar.
Catherine was elected on October 19, 2015 and was appointed Minister of Environment and Climate Change on November 4, 2015. Catherine and her husband live in Ottawa with their three children.