The Honourable Greg Rickford was first elected to the Ontario Legislature as the MPP for Kenora — Rainy River in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 and 2025. Over the past seven years, he has been Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee for Economic and Resource Policy. Since June 2024, he has also served as Minister of First Nations Economic Reconciliation and since March 2025, has also served as the Minister Responsible for Ring of Fire Economic and Community Partnerships.
Minister Rickford also served Premier Ford as the Minister of the Minister of Northern Development and Chair of the Northern Ontario Heritage fund, Minister of Energy, the Minister of Mines, and the Minister of Natural Resources & Forestry, in addition to his current portfolios.
Minister Rickford’s academic and professional journey has been an interesting one: a lifelong learning plan focussed on the pursuit of excellence in advocacy spanning three careers that include nursing, the practice of law, and politics.
Minister Rickford has a Diploma in nursing from Mohawk College, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Victoria, specializing in community health nursing. The Minister’s nursing career includes working in multiple specialized clinical settings in hospitals throughout North America and close to a decade working in northern isolated Indigenous communities across Canada.
He has an MBA from Université of Laval as well as Bachelors’ of Common Law & Civil Law from McGill University. His law practice focussed on Indigenous Matters including being a signatory to the Indian Residential School Agreement, Indigenous governance, economic and health opportunities.
From 2008 to 2015 Minister Rickford, served as the federal Member of Parliament for Kenora. During that time, he served Prime Minister Harper as the Parliamentary Secretary for Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development, Minister of State for Science & Technology, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and finally, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources.
That said, the most important job he has ever had is being a father to his two daughters.
