Larry Bagnell


Lawrence Bagnell is a Canadian politician. He served as a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 until 2011, and from 2015 to present.

Early life

Bagnell was born in Toronto, Ontario.

Political career

Bagnell ran for a seat to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2000 Canadian federal election. He won the Yukon defeating incumbent Louise Hardy by 70 votes. He was re-elected in the 2004 federal election with close to half of the votes. Under the Martin government, he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources.
He was again re-elected in the 2006 election, increasing both his number and percentage of votes. In February 2006, a local newspaper in Whitehorse, Yukon suggested that he be a candidate in the upcoming Liberal leadership race.
In February 2006, Bagnell was named the Critic for Northern Affairs in the Shadow Cabinet of Opposition leader Bill Graham, a role he continued to serve throughout his years in opposition.
On August 25, 2006, he announced that he was supporting Michael Ignatieff for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Bagnell ran for a fourth term in the 2008 Canadian federal election. He won a tight four-way race defeating future Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski and two other candidates.
Bagnell ran for his fifth term in the 2011 Canadian federal election but was defeated by Conservative candidate Ryan Leef, finishing second place out of four candidates in a closely contested election. Leef had campaigned on Bagnell voting in favour of the long gun registry, which was unpopular in the constituency.
Four years later, Bagnell sought a rematch with Leef, and defeated him decisively to regain his seat in the House of Commons. He was thereafter named as the chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
In the 2019 election, Bagnell defeated conservative challenger Jonas Smith by a margin of only 153 votes, tied for the narrowest result of any electoral district in the country with Port Moody—Coquitlam.

Electoral history