Born in the UK of a Carriacou, Grenadian father and a British mother, Michael Coteau was previously elected in 2011 as the Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East. He has now moved to federal politics, and is running in the Don Valley East seat as the Liberal Party candidate in the upcoming September 20^th elections.

He served as Minister of Children and Youth Services, as well as Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games; he was also Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. His campaign for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership inspired thousands of grassroots party members, and ultimately earned the second-most delegates of any campaign.

Before serving in the provincial government, Coteau was elected as a school board trustee for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) beginning in 2003. As a trustee, he advocated for student nutrition, community use of space and the use of educational technology. He initiated the ‘Community Use of Schools’ motion that drastically cut user fees and made schools more accessible to groups that offer programs for children. He helped introduce nutritional changes in schools that supported healthy food programs and increased awareness of student hunger.

Coteau worked as an ESL instructor and curriculum developer before becoming a community organizer for a United Way agency in Scarborough. He was also the Marketing Manager for ABC Life Literacy, where he was responsible for the organizing of the Family Literacy Day across Canada, and was Executive Director of Alpha Plus, a national literacy organization mandated to support adult education through the use of technology.

Coteau grew up in Don Valley East and attended Don Mills Middle School and Victoria Park Collegiate Institute. He holds degrees from Carleton University in both Political Science and Canadian History. He and his wife Lori live in Toronto with their two daughters, Maren and Myla.