Gord Johns (born November 29, 1969) is a Canadian politician and businessman who serves the member of Parliament (MP) for Courtenay—Alberni. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Johns has represented Courtenay—Alberni since the 2015 federal election. He previously served as a town councillor for Tofino, British Columbia and founded a small business.
Early life and career Johns was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia. He graduated from Mount Douglas Secondary School, where he was valedictorian. He has three children.
For 13 years Johns operated a store specializing in sustainable products in Tofino. Over time he expanded the business with additional locations in Victoria and Whistler. However, the business ceased operations in 2010, due to the effects of the 2008-2009 recession. He also owned a small art gallery in Tofino for several years.
Johns served one term as a municipal councillor for the District of Tofino from 2008 to 2011. He did not seek re-election, and subsequently joined the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce as the executive director. During this time, Johns also was the project manager of West Coast Multiplex Society, advocating for the construction of a multipurpose recreation facility.
Political career Johns won the NDP nomination for the newly-created Courtenay—Alberni in November 2014. In the 2015 federal election he faced Conservative Party candidate John Duncan, who had previously been MP of Vancouver Island North, out of which Courtenay—Alberni was created. Johns won the election, receiving 38.1% of the vote.
42nd Parliament Johns was appointed critic for small business and tourism by NDP leader Tom Mulcair. After Jagmeet Singh succeeded Mulcair, Singh retained Johns as critic for small business and tourism and added veterans affairs to his portfolio. As veteran affairs critic he introduced a motion to automatically carry forward all annual lapsed spending at the Department of Veterans Affairs to the next fiscal year, which was unanimously passed by the House of Commons.
During the 42nd Canadian Parliament Johns introduced a private member's bill the National Cycling Strategy Act (Bill C-312), which would have required the federal government to develop and implement a strategy to facilitate the development of cycling infrastructure, including a review of regulations and standards. However, the bill did not advance beyond first reading.
Johns served as the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs and the vice-chair on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. In November 2017, Johns introduced M-151 requesting the federal government work with provinces, municipalities, and Indigenous communities to develop a national strategy to combat plastic pollution in aquatic environments. M-151 was voted on December 22, 2018, and unanimously passed. Subsequently, the federal government announced on June 10, 2019, that it planned to introduce a national ban on single-use plastics by 2021, including plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks. The passing of the motion also caused municipalities and provinces to act by implementing various plastics bans. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador both became the first provinces to ban plastic bags. Two days before the federal announcement on banning single-use plastics, Tofino and Ucluelet officially became the first two municipalities in B.C. to implement bans on single-use plastic bags and plastic straws.
Johns presented two other motions in the House of Commons but neither came to a vote. A year after the sinking of the Leviathan II, Johns' motion M-46 requested the federal government allocate resources for training and equipment to volunteer first responders in remote coastal communities. Later, on June 12, 2019, Johns' motion M-245 requested the government to bring Canada's seafood labelling and traceability regulations in line with international standards.
43rd Parliament Johns was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, receiving 41.2% of the vote.
Following the election, Johns remained critic for small business, tourism and economic development and was appointed critic for fisheries and oceans as well deputy-critic for Indigenous-Crown relations and Indigenous services. Johns reintroduced his National Cycling Strategy Act as a private member's bill. While it was not brought to a vote, the government began work on a national active transportation strategy.
Johns also introduced private member's bill C-264 which sought to amend the Income Tax Act to increase both the volunteer firefighter tax credit and the search and rescue volunteer tax credit from $3,000 to $10,000, following up on his motion M-46 from the previous Parliament. In November 2020, he re-introduced private member bill C-257 to amend the Fisheries Act to require commercial finfish aquaculture only take place in closed containment facilities, which had previously been introduced in the previous three parliaments by fellow NDP member Fin Donnelly.
44th Parliament Johns was again re-elected in the 2021 federal election, receiving 44.2% of the vote.
Following the election, Johns was appointed the New Democratic Party critic for Mental Health and Harm Reduction, the critic for Procurement and the Public Service, and remained the deputy-critic for Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. Johns was a member of the multi-partisan Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and a member of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, among others.
During the first session of the 44th Parliament, Johns introduced private member's bill (Bill C-216) to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It consisted of three parts: the decriminalization of drug possession, expungement of criminal records for all Canadians with drug possession convictions, and the establishment of a National Strategy on Substance Use Act. The bill was defeated at the second reading.
Johns proposed five private member's motions in the 44th Parliament, none of which were debated.
45th Parliament Johns was re-elected in the 2025 federal election, receiving 39.6% of the vote, becoming the sole NDP MP elected on Vancouver Island as the party lost five previously held seats there. Johns serves as the NDP critic for Health (including Mental Health and Addictions), Rural, Small Business and Tourism, Fisheries and Oceans, Agriculture, Veteran Affairs, Heritage (Arts, Culture and Sport), and Emergency Preparedness.
Johns introduced the first private member's bill of the 45th Parliament. Bill C-201 would add mental health coverage to the Canada Health Act.
Johns was one of two NDP MPs, alongside Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, to abstain from voting on the 2025 Canadian federal budget. Johns stated that his decision to abstain on the budget came after consultation with constituents and elected leaders in his riding who did not want a fall election.
In 2026, Johns endorsed Heather McPherson in that year's federal NDP leadership race.
Political positions Toxic drug crisis Johns supports a harm reduction approach to the opioid crisis in British Columbia, including the decriminalization of personal possession of opioids. In 2018, he called the opioid crisis the greatest emergency facing residents in the Alberni Valley, as opioid deaths in the region are 50% higher than the provincial average. In December 2018, Johns presented a petition with over 3,000 signatures to the House of Commons, calling on the government to address opioids as a National Public Health Emergency. In 2025, Johns criticized the federal government for allowing safer supply program funding to elapse without a renewal.
In the 44th Parliament, Johns called for an audit of the government's response to the toxic drug crisis after data revealed that 32,632 Canadians died due to drug poisoning between January 2016 and June 2022. Johns also introduced a private member's bill (Bill C-216) to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to decriminalize drug possession and implement a health-based approach to substance use.
In October 2025, Johns received the Allyship Award from the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPSA) for his advocacy on addictions care.
Mental health During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns called for greater mental health and addiction services, highlighting challenges faced by individuals in indigenous and remote communities. Johns also participated in a 2020 men's mental health awareness campaign.
In September 2022, Johns tabled private member's motion M-67 which recognized that Canada is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis and called on the government to expand funding for mental health services and mental illness prevention. However, the motion never went beyond tabling. Johns tabled a similar motion in 2026 as Motion M-31 in the 45th Parliament, calling for a target of 12 per cent of overall health spending to be dedicated towards mental health.
Johns co-hosts an annual "Fathers' Day on the Hill" event, alongside Liberal MPs Matt Jeneroux and, during his tenure, former Liberal MP Majid Jowhari. The event seeks to raise awareness for men's mental health.
Johns has also advocated for improved mental health treatment for frontline service workers, Black public servants, and other vulnerable groups.
Health care & disability In February 2021, Johns tabled a motion (M-73) urging the government to work with provinces and territories to establish a national strategy for the reintegration of workers who became mentally or physically impaired while employed and were at risk of losing their job.
In February 2022, Johns advocated for greater support for healthcare workers following the pandemic. In 2023, Johns tabled Bill C-213, which would have established a universal, single-payer, Pharmacare plan. Johns had previously presented a petition in 2020 calling for universal pharmacare. In 2024, the government implemented a pharmacare plan covering birth control and insulin, as per the provisions of the Liberal-NDP confidence and supply agreement. In 2026, Johns and NDP leader Avi Lewis criticized the government for what Johns calls a "patchwork" approach to implementation.
On June 10, 2025, Johns introduced Bill C-206, a private member's bill which would establish a national strategy on brain injuries, to improve prevention and treatment.
Climate change and conservation Johns has advocated for addressing climate change and advancing wildlife conservation. As a municipal councillor in Tofino, Johns supported increased protections against logging in Clayoquot Sound.
As the executive director of the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Johns directed the chamber's opposition to the B.C. Chamber of Commerce's support of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He continued his opposition as an MP, criticizing the Liberal government's approval of the expansion, labelling it a "betrayal" to B.C. residents.
Johns has called for greater support for workers transitioning out of carbon intensive industries, federal support for companies developing green technologies, and supports for local green entrepreneurs. He has also called for increased government efforts to meet its climate targets, and has advocated for the government to follow through on its promise to end subsidies for oil and gas companies.
Johns has also been involved in coordinating the Canadian Biosphere Day on the Hill, which recognized the significance of Canada's biospheres in conservation, sustainable development, and reconciliation.
Johns opposes the pipeline to the B.C. coast proposed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, citing environmental concerns, a lack of support from coastal First Nations, and potential carve-outs to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.