Michael Shawn Kerzner MPP is a Canadian politician who was in June 2022 was named Solicitor General of Ontario. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of York Centre as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.^[1]

Biography

Kerzner is Jewish.^[2] His parents are Max and Dolly Kerzner.^[2] His father was a chartered accountant.^[2] His father's parents, Sam and Sarah Kerzner, emigrated to Canada in 1930 from Stopnica, Poland.^[2] Everyone in his grandfather's family was killed during the Holocaust.^[2] His maternal grandfather, Murray Penwick, was born in Toronto where he opened a pharmacy.^[2] His maternal grandmother, Tilly Penwick, is from England, and emigrated to Canada in her youth.^[2]

Kerzner attended York University, graduating with a B.A. (Hons.) in 1986.^[2] After university he worked in construction business, building commercial buildings, and then in 2015 started doing genetic testing at DNALabs Canada.^[2] He is a bioscience and technology entrepreneur.^[3] He lives in York Centre.^[4]

Kerzner succeeded to the seat of independent MPP Roman Baber. Baber had been elected as a Progressive Conservative but was expelled from the PC caucus on January 15, 2021, for his COVID-19 lockdown stances. It was expected that Baber would run against Kerzner in the general election, but Baber instead opted to run in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.^[5][6]

On June 24, 2022, Kerzner was named Solicitor General of Ontario by Premier Doug Ford.^[7]