William Sterling Blair (born 1954) is a Canadian diplomat, politician, and former police officer who has served as the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since 2026. A member of the Liberal Party, he formerly represented Scarborough Southwest in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2026. Blair held Cabinet portfolios during the Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney governments, including the role of Minister of National Defence from 2023 to 2025. Before entering politics, Blair worked for four decades with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), serving as the chief of police from 2005 until retiring in 2015.

Life and education

Blair was born in 1954 in Scarborough, Ontario. Blair's father had served as a police officer for 39 years.

Police career

Blair joined the Metropolitan Toronto Police while in university to make money and began taking courses on a part-time basis. and illegally blocking traffic on the Gardiner Expressway. In the aftermath of the protests, the Toronto Police Service and the Integrated Security Unit (ISU) for the summit were heavily criticized for brutality during the arrests. Protests called for Blair to resign. In a December 2010 interview, Blair indicated that he would not resign, despite growing criticism of his leadership during and after the summit.

Responding to questions about a controversial regulation enacted by the Cabinet of Ontario to increase police powers during the summit, Blair was supportive, stating that "it was passed in exactly the procedure as described in our legislation in Ontario." As the investigation into the mayor and his friend Alessandro Lisi continued, Mayor Ford dared Blair to arrest him and accused him of wasting money in their surveillance of Ford. Rob Ford's brother, Councillor Doug Ford, claimed that Blair had "gone rogue" and violated the Police Services Act when speaking out about the mayor during the ongoing police investigation.

In his last years in office, Blair was in conflict with several members of the Toronto Police Services Board over resistance to proposed reforms as well as his resistance to cut the police budget. On July 30, 2014, the board announced that it would not renew Blair's contract for a third, five-year term. He retired from the police service when his contract ended on April 25, 2015, and was succeeded by Deputy Chief Mark Saunders.

Political career

Blair declined to comment on his future plans while he was still police chief. The Liberal Party recruited Blair to be its candidate in Scarborough Southwest for the 2015 federal election to be held October. On April 25, 2015, Blair confirmed his intention to seek the Liberal Party nomination in Scarborough Southwest. He won the Liberal nomination on June 13, 2015.

42nd Parliament

On October 19, 2015, Blair was elected to the 42nd Canadian Parliament in the Scarborough Southwest riding. On January 28, 2017, Blair was named parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice. In January 2016, Blair was named as the head of the federal-provincial task force tasked with creating a plan for the legalization of cannabis in Canada. On September 19, 2017, Blair assumed the role of parliamentary secretary to the minister of health.

Blair has held a number of roles working with the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

On July 18, 2018, Blair joined Cabinet when he was appointed Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction.

43rd Parliament

Blair was made Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness on November 20, 2019, soon after his re-election to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In his role he oversaw the closure of the border between Canada and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

44th Parliament

Blair became President of the Privy Council on October 26, 2021, and dropped public safety from his portfolio, becoming Minister of Emergency Preparedness, soon after his re-election to the 44th Canadian Parliament. In November 2021, Blair oversaw the Canadian Armed Forces' operation to help those in the Pacific coast of British Columbia amidst torrential rains that caused landslides and floods. Blair played a key role in the federal government's response to the Canada convoy protest, where the Emergencies Act was invoked. In September 2022, Blair coordinated the federal response to Hurricane Fiona.

During a cabinet shuffle in July 2023, he was made Minister of National Defence. Blair continued to hold that role under new Liberal leader Mark Carney's 30th Canadian Ministry.

45th Parliament

Blair was reelected in the 2025 Canadian federal election and was removed from cabinet in the subsequent cabinet shuffle.

Diplomatic career

On February 2, 2026, Blair resigned his seat to become the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, an appointment that took effect in spring 2026.

Awards and recognition

In 2007, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces He is a Member of the Venerable Order of Saint John.||

  • 2012
  • Canadian Version of this Medal

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|40px || Police Exemplary Service Medal||

  • Medal 17 July 1997
  • 1st Bar 21 June 2007

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Electoral record

References

  • Official site
  • Bio & mandate from the Prime Minister