Less than two weeks after surprisingly resigning as Prince Edward Island’s premier to spend more time with family and avoid dealing with President Donald Trump, Dennis King was appointed to an ambassadorial role.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that King had been named Canada’s next Ambassador to Ireland.
“With his years of experience in public service, including as the Premier of Prince Edward Island, I am confident that he will serve Canada well and make the strong partnership between our two countries even stronger,” said Trudeau.
In his statement, Trudeau celebrated King’s previous work on healthcare, education, economics, and job creation.
During King’s tenure as P.E.I. premier, he introduced major policy changes like healthcare reforms, tax reductions, and affordability initiatives.
During his resignation announcement, King said that his wife and kids had made tremendous sacrifices for him to be premier but that it was now time for him to repay them.
In his new role, King will advance the priorities shared between Canada and Ireland, such as transatlantic security, trade, and investment.
According to the Government of Canada, over 4.4 million Canadians are partially Irish, making it the third-largest ethnic group in Canada.
Canada and Ireland celebrated 85 years of formal diplomatic relations in 2024. In March 2021, a motion was passed in the House of Commons that made March the Irish Heritage Month.
“Ireland is one of Canada’s most like-minded partners in the European Union. Canada and Ireland share values and common priorities, including support for gender equality and human rights. We also cooperate closely on environment protection and climate action,” reads the federal government’s website.
Canada and Ireland traded $4 billion worth of goods in 2023, with Canada exporting $726.3 million and importing $3.3 billion. As for services trade, Canada exported $2.5 billion in services in 2022 and imported $3.8 billion.
Ireland has an embassy in Ottawa and consulates in Vancouver and Toronto. Canada has an embassy in Dublin, Ireland.
Following King’s resignation as premier, Rob Lantz was sworn in as his successor.
Former P.E.I. premier Pat Binns similarly became the ambassador to Ireland almost immediately after his resignation in 2007.