Bill Blair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Bill Blair PC COM MP
Blair in 2025
Minister of National Defence
In office July 26, 2023 – May 13, 2025
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau Mark Carney
Preceded by	Anita Anand
Succeeded by	David McGuinty
Minister of Emergency Preparedness
In office October 26, 2021 – July 26, 2023
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Himself (as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness)
Succeeded by	Harjit Sajjan
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
In office November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Ralph Goodale
Succeeded by	Marco Mendicino (as Minister of Public Safety) Himself (as Minister of Emergency Preparedness)
Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice
In office January 28, 2017 – July 18, 2018
Minister	Jody Wilson-Raybould
Preceded by	Sean Casey
Succeeded by	Marco Mendicino
Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Dan Harris
Chief of the Toronto Police Service
In office April 6, 2005 – April 25, 2015
Preceded by	Mike Boyd
Succeeded by	Mark Saunders
Personal details
Born	William Sterling Blair (1954-04-09) April 9, 1954 (age 71) Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Susanne Blair
Children	2 sons; 1 daughter
Residence	South Hill, Toronto
Alma mater	University of Toronto (BA)
Awards	Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces Police Exemplary Service Medal Member of the Order of St. John Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Police career
Department	Toronto Police Service
Rank	Chief of Police

William "Bill" Sterling Blair (born April 9, 1954) is a Canadian politician and former police officer. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has represented the area of Scarborough Southwest in the House of Commons since 2015.

Blair has held several important government jobs, called portfolios. He was the Minister of National Defence from 2023 to 2025. Before that, he was the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Public Safety.

Before becoming a politician, Blair had a long career with the Toronto Police Service (TPS). He worked there for 40 years and was the chief of police from 2005 to 2015.

Early Life and Education

Bill Blair was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in 1954. His father was also a police officer for 39 years. When Blair was young, he thought about studying law or finance at the University of Toronto.

He started studying economics but left to become a police officer. He later returned to university and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and criminology. Criminology is the study of crime and criminals.

Blair is married to Susanne Blair. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Career as a Police Officer

Blair joined the Toronto police while he was still in university. His first job was walking a police route, known as a beat, in a neighborhood called Regent Park. He also worked as an undercover officer to help stop serious crimes.

After getting his university degree, Blair's career grew. He became known for leading large police operations. He was also asked to help improve the relationship between police and the community in one of Toronto's divisions. He did this by having officers read to children in schools and talking with local business owners.

In 1999, Blair was considered for the job of police chief, but another person was chosen. Blair was then put in charge of detective operations.

Chief of the Toronto Police Service

Blair in 2015.

In April 2005, Bill Blair was chosen to be the new Chief of the Toronto Police Service. Before becoming chief, he had been a Toronto police officer for about 30 years. He had experience in many areas, including organized crime and major investigations.

Working with Communities

In 2009, a series of large protests took place in Toronto. People were upset about events happening in the Sri Lankan Civil War. The protests blocked major streets, and some people wanted the police to use force to stop them.

Instead, Chief Blair used his experience in community policing. He made sure the police used as little force as possible. He spoke about the protesters' right to express their opinions and helped end the protests peacefully. For his leadership, the Canadian Tamil Congress gave him a "Leaders for Change Award."

G20 Summit Protests

In 2010, Toronto hosted the G20 Toronto Summit, a meeting of world leaders. During the summit, there were large protests. The police arrested nearly 1,000 people, which was the largest number of arrests at one time in Canadian history.

After the summit, the police were criticized for how they handled the protests. Some people called for Blair to resign, but he said he would not. A lawsuit was filed against the police on behalf of the people who were arrested. In 2020, the case was settled for $16.5 million.

Conflict with the Mayor

In 2013, Blair had a public disagreement with Toronto's mayor at the time, Rob Ford. The conflict began after Blair confirmed that the police had a video that showed the mayor in a difficult situation. The mayor's brother, Doug Ford, accused Blair of acting unfairly. Blair later gave Doug Ford a notice of defamation, which is a legal claim that someone has damaged your reputation. Doug Ford later apologized for his comments.

Blair's time as chief ended on April 25, 2015. He was not offered another five-year term. He was succeeded by Deputy Chief Mark Saunders.

Career in Politics

After retiring as police chief, Bill Blair decided to enter politics. He ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the 2015 Canadian federal election.

On October 19, 2015, Blair was elected to the House of Commons to represent Scarborough Southwest.

Government Roles

As a politician, Blair has been given several important roles. .....

In 2018, he joined the Cabinet as the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. A year later, he became the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. In this role, he helped manage the closure of the border between Canada and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the 2021 election, Blair became the Minister of Emergency Preparedness. He helped lead the government's response to major events like the floods in British Columbia in 2021 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022. He also played a key part in the government's response to the Canada convoy protest.

In July 2023, he was appointed Minister of National Defence. He held this position until May 2025. After the 2025 Canadian federal election, he was reelected but was not included in the new cabinet.

Awards and Recognition

Bill Blair has received several awards for his service.

• In 2007, he was made an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. In 2012, he was promoted to Commander, the highest level in the Order.
• He is a Member of the Venerable Order of Saint John.
• In 2013, the Canadian Tamil Congress gave him an award for his leadership during the 2009 protests.

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)	Commander 5 January 2012. Officer 11 January 2007.
	Order of St John	Member
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 Canadian Version of this Medal
	Police Exemplary Service Medal	Medal 17 July 1997 1st Bar 21 June 2007

Electoral record