# Mary Ng

Mary Ng PC MP (1968-12-16) December 16, 1968 (age 56) is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Markham—Thornhill since a by-election on April 3, 2017. She served in the government of Justin Trudeau, most recently as Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, and holds the record as Canada's longest-serving minister responsible for international trade at over 5 years in the role.

## Early life

Ng was born in British Hong Kong on (1968-12-16) December 16, 1968 (age 56), and is the eldest child of three. In the 1970s (1976), Ng's parents, Ng Yin-Foo and Ng Wan Lin, immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong, later establishing a family-owned restaurant (Ka-Hing Chinese & Szechuan Foods 2346 Dufferin Street) in Toronto, Ontario. Along with her brother Ken and sister Vera, Ng grew up working in the family's restaurant. She attended the University of Toronto in political science.

## Career

Ng has worked for over 20 years in the public service, focusing on the areas of education, women's leadership, job-creation, and entrepreneurship. Before entering politics, Ng worked in the Government of Ontario in the Province’s Cabinet Office, with the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario, and the Ministry of Education of Ontario. She has also worked for Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in the President’s Office, and served as Director of Public Appointments in the Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

## Federal politics

Following the resignation of Markham—Thornhill MP John McCallum in February 2017, Ng announced her candidacy for the nomination of the Liberal Party of Canada for the riding. Ng won the nomination against two other candidates and went on to win the seat with 51.5% of the vote in a riding by-election held on April 3 that year. Ng went on to win the seat again in the 2019 Canadian Federal election with 53.9% of the vote and in the 2021 Canadian Federal election with 61.5% of the vote.

### Member of Parliament

As the Member of Parliament for Markham-Thornhill, Ng helped to facilitate the government's commitment to invest in Canadian ideas and innovators in the riding by advocating for the inclusion of Markham's tech-innovation hub, VentureLabs, in the Southern Ontario Supercluster. Ng has also helped deliver infrastructure improvements to Markham and the surrounding area for clean water and wastewater improvements, flood protection, public transit expansion which includes the Yonge Subway North extension, additional housing, and the retrofitting of community facilities throughout the riding.

### Cabinet Minister

Ng was appointed Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion in a cabinet reshuffle in July 2018. Following her re-election as MP in the 2019 federal election, she was named Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, adding the trade portfolio to her responsibilities.
As Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion, Ng oversaw the development and implementation of several key support programs during the COVID-19 pandemic including: The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) which provided interest-free loans of up to $60,000 to small businesses and non-profits, The Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) to help small businesses with rent payments during Covid-19 lockdowns, and the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) to support businesses in rural communities.
Under Ng’s leadership, the Ministry of Small Business and Export Promotion created the Black Entrepreneurship Program, a $221 million investment to support Black business owners and entrepreneurs, and developed the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), a $6 billion investment to increase women-owned businesses' access to financing, talent, networks and expertise.
In 2020, Ng led Canada’s first-ever virtual trade mission to South Korea - an innovative approach to support Canadian businesses during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission focused on key sectors such as clean technology, information and communications technology, and health technology. It connected over 200 Canadian businesses with South Korean industry leaders and potential partners, facilitating commercial opportunities in one of Canada’s most significant trading partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
In November 2020, Ng led negotiations resulting in the Canada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement, ensuring continued preferential trade access between the two nations following Brexit.
After the 2021 election, Ng's responsibilities expanded to include Economic Development becoming the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. She remained the minister responsible for Canada's trade negotiations, overseeing Export Development Canada and promoting small business.
In 2022, Mario Dion, the Ethics Commissioner of Canada, released a report finding that Ng had broken ethics rules in 2019 and 2020 by failing to recuse herself and awarding two government media training contracts – worth $16,950 and $5,840 – to the public relations firm that her friend of 20 years had co-founded. After the release of the report, Ng apologized and issued a statement saying that she should have recused herself. When pressed on whether she would resign over this, Ng said "I've said that in making this mistake I need to work very, very hard to earn the trust of those to whom I serve in my riding, but indeed across Canada. But no, I will keep working hard for Canadians."
In July 2023, Ng's appointment changed to Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development. In this role, Ng has led Canada's trade diversification strategy through trade agreements like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, strengthened trade relations with ASEAN nations and launched Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy. She also oversaw the modernization of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.
Ng’s inaugural Team Canada Trade Mission to Japan in 2023 marked a pivotal step in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. The mission enabled Canadian businesses to establish connections and pursue commercial opportunities in Japan, one of Canada’s top trading partners.
In 2024, Ng conducted subsequent trade missions in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The mission to Indonesia and the Philippines in December 2024 was Canada’s largest-ever trade mission, with over 300 representatives from more than 190 Canadian organizations participating. This mission facilitated significant engagements, including the conclusion of negotiations for the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the signing of multiple memorandums of understanding between Canadian and Indonesian companies.
On February 10, 2025, Ng announced her intention to not seek re-election during the 2025 Canadian federal election.

## Electoral record

vte2021 Canadian federal election: Markham—Thornhill :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Mary Ng | 23,709 | 61.5 | +7.6 | $67,977.46 |
| | Conservative | Melissa Felian | 10,136 | 26.3 | -8.3 | $57,520.72 |
| | New Democratic | Paul Sahbaz | 3,222 | 8.4 | +1.1 | $633.62 |
| | Green | Mimi Lee | 813 | 2.1 | -0.7 | $4,285.37 |
| | People's | Ilia Pashaev | 648 | 1.7 | +0.9 | $1,203.75 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 38,528 | – | – | $106,559.92 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 398 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,926 | 55.70 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 69,883 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Markham—Thornhill :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Mary Ng | 23,899 | 53.91 | +2.55 | $80,357.71 |
| | Conservative | Alex Yuan | 15,319 | 34.56 | -4.43 | $74,064.17 |
| | New Democratic | Paul Sahbaz | 3,233 | 7.29 | +3.81 | none listed |
| | Green | Chris Williams | 1,247 | 2.81 | +0.60 | none listed |
| | People's | Peter Remedios | 357 | 0.81 | | $0.00 |
| | Independent | Josephbai Macwan | 276 | 0.62 | | none listed |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 44,331 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 448 | 1.00 | +0.41 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,779 | 61.76 | +31.14 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 72,499 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +3.49 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
Canadian federal by-election, April 3, 2017: Markham—Thornhill (federal electoral district) Resignation of John McCallum :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mary Ng | 9,856 | 51.53 | −4.19 |
| | Conservative | Ragavan Paranchothy | 7,501 | 39.22 | +6.91 |
| | New Democratic | Gregory Hines | 671 | 3.51 | −7.21 |
| | Progressive Canadian | Dorian Baxter | 566 | 2.96 | |
| | Green | Caryn Bergmann | 426 | 2.23 | +0.98 |
| | Libertarian | Brendan Thomas Reilly | 118 | 0.62 | |
| | Independent | Above Znoneofthe | 77 | 0.40 | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 19,125 | 100.0 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | - |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27.51 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 69,838 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | −5.55 |