Caroline Mulroney

Caroline Mulroney
Born	Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham (1974-06-11) June 11, 1974 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, lawyer, politician
Years active	2002–present
Known for	President of the Treasury Board of Ontario, Minister of Francophone Affairs, Attorney General of Ontario (2018–2019), MPP for York—Simcoe

Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham, born on June 11, 1974, is a prominent Canadian entrepreneur, legal professional, and political figure currently holding the positions of President of the Treasury Board of Ontario and Minister of Francophone Affairs.

Hailing from Montreal, she is the daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. An alumna of both Harvard University and New York University, she was elected as the MPP for York—Simcoe during the 2018 election, representing the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. In 2018, Mulroney finished third in her party’s leadership contest and served as Attorney General of Ontario between 2018 and 2019.

Raised primarily in Ottawa, she spent twelve years working in the United States before relocating back to Canada in 2005. Her professional background encompasses roles in financial services as well as active participation in charitable initiatives. Additionally, she has been a member of the board for the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority.

Early life and education

Mulroney is the eldest child and only daughter of former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney and his wife, Mila. Among her siblings is Ben Mulroney, who formerly hosted CTV Your Morning. Notably, her father secured victory in the 1983 PC leadership race on the day she turned nine. Her maternal grandfather, Dimitrije Pivnički, was a psychiatrist based in Montreal who treated patients including Margaret Trudeau. Between the ages of 10 and 19, she lived at 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the prime minister, while attending Lycée Claudel d'Ottawa. Her father remarked that she shares his political mindset and predicted she would likely pursue a career in politics.

She obtained her undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard University and earned a J.D. from the New York University School of Law. During her legal studies, Mulroney developed a passion for public-interest law and completed an internship at the office of the New York Attorney General. She is proficient in French, English, and Spanish.

Career

Following her academic pursuits, Mulroney began her career as a financial analyst with Bear Stearns. She briefly practiced law as an associate at Shearman & Sterling, working within the Compensation, Governance, and ERISA group. She also held the position of associate director at the NYU Center for Law & Business. She was admitted to practice law by the New York Bar on July 29, 2002, and was reinstated as a licensed American attorney on September 29, 2017 after a period of inactivity.

In 2011, together with her three sisters-in-law, she co-established The Shoebox Project, a charitable organization that supplies personal care products to women residing in shelters. By 2012, this initiative had expanded to ten cities with thousands of gift boxes distributed through volunteer networks. In 2015, Mulroney contributed blog content to GoGoNews, an online publication aimed at children. She has served on several boards including those of the SickKids Foundation, acted as a governor for the National Theatre School of Canada, and was a director at the Fraser Institute. From 2015 until August 2017, she held the role of vice president at BloombergSen, an investment advisory firm based in Toronto, before stepping away to enter politics.

On July 30, 2014, Mulroney received an appointment from then-Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt to join the board of the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority. This organization manages the $4 billion project involving construction and oversight of a new bridge linking Windsor, Ontario with Detroit, Michigan, including responsibility for toll administration. Her selection drew upon her expertise in law and corporate development acquired through her work at Wellington Financial.

Public involvement

When she was 14, Mulroney actively supported Lucien Bouchard during the 1988 by-election in Lac St. Jean. After Bouchard's victory, he sent her a personal thank-you letter. However, she later experienced disappointment when he departed from her father's political party to join the Bloc Québécois. In 1990, she campaigned for Ontario PC candidate Alex Burney during the provincial election.

On September 20, 2017, Mulroney participated alongside her parents in the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University.

Political career speculation

On December 12, 2015, the Toronto Sun suggested that Mulroney might assume leadership of her father's party and potentially challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is the son of Pierre Trudeau—her father's former political adversary. An anonymous "Tory insider" commended her intellect and charisma as qualities fitting for a leader. Journalist Christina Blizzard observed that her limited political background might actually benefit her by freeing her from associations with the Stephen Harper administration. Andrew MacDougall, who previously served as communications director for Harper, referred to her as "the closest thing the Tories have to royalty."

During the federal Conservative Party leadership convention in May 2017, where she acted as co-host, Mulroney made lighthearted remarks about Trudeau but acknowledged that politics could be a future career path. Nevertheless, she later conveyed to Blizzard that politics was not currently her focus, stressing her dedication to raising her four children and advancing her professional endeavors.

Political entry

After meeting Mulroney at a fundraising event for her charity, Patrick Brown encouraged her to become a star candidate for the Progressive Conservatives. On August 2, 2017, she declared her intention to seek the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario nomination for the York—Simcoe riding in the upcoming 2018 provincial election. Her campaign highlighted the importance of reducing government interference, managing taxation prudently, and prioritizing affordability. She opted to run under the name Mulroney to leverage name recognition, stating, "no matter what I do, people just always call me Caroline Mulroney." On September 10, 2017, she was acclaimed as the PC candidate for York—Simcoe. Her father mentioned that she consulted him before entering politics and chose provincial office to stay closer to family life.

2018 Ontario PC Party leadership campaign

Following Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown’s abrupt resignation on January 25, 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations, Mulroney emerged as a potential successor.

On February 4, 2018, she formally announced her candidacy for the party leadership through an online video. She received strong backing from the federal Conservative caucus with endorsements from ten members. Prominent supporters included four former advisers to Patrick Brown and strategist Hamish Marshall—former director of The Rebel Media and Conservative Campaign Chair for the 43rd Canadian federal election. Derek Vanstone, ex-deputy chief of staff to Stephen Harper and former executive at Air Canada, served as vice-chair of her campaign.

Mulroney expressed apprehension that sending her children to private schools might be politically weaponized against her; during a debate on February 28, she sidestepped related questions.

Her critics—among them Doug Ford Jr.—raised concerns about her prolonged residency in the United States; however, she reaffirmed her deep connections to Canada and Ontario.

Other contenders included Ford, Christine Elliott, Tanya Granic Allen, and briefly Patrick Brown before his withdrawal. Although initially supportive of Brown, Mulroney publicly urged him to exit the race and called on other candidates to join this stance. Ford and Elliott declined; Mulroney criticized their refusal.

Reports indicated that Mulroney's campaign lost momentum as some endorsements shifted toward Elliott.

In the leadership vote held on March 10, 2018, Mulroney placed third behind winner Doug Ford and runner-up Christine Elliott, being eliminated after the second ballot.

42nd Parliament of Ontario

During the 2018 Ontario election, Mulroney was elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) representing York—Simcoe in the 42nd Parliament of Ontario. On June 29, 2018, Premier Doug Ford appointed her as Ontario's Attorney General, despite her not having practiced law in Canada, and also designated her as Minister of Francophone Affairs within his Executive Council. In her capacity as Minister of Francophone Affairs, Mulroney was instrumental in founding l'Université de l'Ontario français, marking Ontario's inaugural university administered by Francophones for Francophone students. Additionally, she spearheaded the first major revisions to Ontario's French Language Services Act in more than three decades.

Mulroney supported the Ford administration’s September 2018 invocation of the "notwithstanding clause" to overturn a judicial decision that invalidated legislation reducing the size of Toronto City Council. Her endorsement of this move attracted extensive criticism from constitutional scholars and political figures, particularly given her responsibility as Attorney General to uphold the rule of law and judicial independence.

In April 2019, Mulroney implemented substantial budget cuts within the justice sector, including a $133 million reduction to Legal Aid Ontario’s funding—amounting to over 30% of its provincial allocation—affecting community legal clinics that serve marginalized groups. Critics argued these cuts disproportionately harmed Toronto communities and organizations critical of the Ford government.

Later in 2019, Mulroney was appointed as Minister of Transportation while continuing to oversee the Francophone Affairs portfolio.

43rd Parliament of Ontario

Mulroney secured re-election in the 2022 Ontario general election, obtaining approximately 57% of votes cast.

On June 27, 2023, she was officially called to the bar in Ontario under a 2021 amendment to the Barristers Act that grants automatic lawyer status to former Attorneys General. Shortly thereafter, on June 30, she was bestowed with the reinstated King's Counsel title, an honor accorded to all lawyers serving in the provincial Cabinet at that time.

44th Parliament of Ontario

Mulroney achieved re-election in the 2025 Ontario general election.

She publicly supported Pierre Poilievre during the 2025 Canadian federal election, introducing him at a Toronto media event.

Political positions

Following her nomination for her electoral district, Mulroney voiced opposition to the Liberal government's minimum wage hike. During the party leadership contest, she backed adopting the "People's Guarantee" as a strategic platform for the PCPO’s campaign in 2018. Mulroney remains against implementing a carbon tax, advocates for reductions in hydro rates, and supports child care rebate programs. She pledged $1 billion toward Hamilton’s light rail transit project; however, on December 16, 2019, provincial authorities announced withdrawal of this funding commitment.

Personal life

Mulroney possesses citizenship in both the United States and Canada. She is married to Andrew Lapham, who formerly served as an executive advisor at Blackstone Canada and held a principal position at Onex Corporation. Lapham is the son of Lewis H. Lapham, the former editor of Harper's Magazine, and the grandson of Lewis A. Lapham. The couple was introduced through a blind date organized by a mutual Harvard acquaintance and exchanged vows on September 16, 2000, at the Church of Saint-Léon-de-Westmount located in Westmount, Quebec. Their wedding was attended by prominent figures such as George H. W. Bush, Conrad Black, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Joe Clark. At this event, a then-emerging artist, Michael Bublé, performed, which subsequently led to his connection with producer David Foster, who produced Bublé's first album. All guests and staff involved were required to sign confidentiality agreements.

Mulroney and Lapham resided in the United States until 2005. Their eldest child was born in New York in 2004, prior to their move to Toronto. Together, they have four children: two daughters and two sons.