3.1 – Your department – Minister responsible for PrairiesCan

Minister Daniel Vandal

First elected to the House of Commons: 2015

Represents the riding of: Saint Boniface-Saint Vital (MB)

Minister for PrairiesCan since: October 26, 2021

• The Honourable Daniel Vandal is the Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). In 2019, he became the Minister of Northern Affairs. Following the 2021 election, he retains this responsibility and also becomes the Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).
• His office is at Les Terrasses de la Chaudière (15 Eddy St.) in Gatineau.
• Minister Vandal has a long record of service in Saint Boniface, where he served five terms as a Winnipeg City Councillor. At City Hall, he served as Deputy Mayor and was a tireless advocate for urban renewal and for better public spaces and vibrant neighbourhoods across the city. He also helped develop Winnipeg’s Aboriginal Youth Strategy, the first of its kind in Canada.
• Minister Vandal previously worked as a social worker at Winnipeg’s Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, an Indigenous family resource centre that delivers community-based programs and services. He was also the Chair of the Old St. Boniface Residents’ Association.
• From 2010 to 2013, he was Chair of the Board of Directors for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. In 2013, he led the Board through the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s licence renewal process, culminating in a five-year renewal for the network.
• Minister Vandal is married to Brigitte. Together, they have four children and one granddaughter.