Michael Joseph Coteau^[1] is a Canadian politician who serves as the Member of Parliament for Don Valley East in the House of Commons of Canada. From 2011 to 2021, he was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the provincial district of Don Valley East in Toronto. He served in the Cabinet of Ontario under Premier Kathleen Wynne from 2013 to 2018 in several portfolios, including Citizenship and Immigration, Tourism, Culture and Sport and Community and Social Services. After the 2018 Ontario general election, Coteau was one of seven Liberals re-elected, and he subsequently ran in the 2020 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election, placing second with 16.9% of the vote.^[2]

Coteau resigned as from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on August 17, 2021 to run for his constituency's federal seat, vacated by Yasmin Ratansi, in the 44th Canadian general election.^[3] He was elected with 59% of the vote.

Coteau was born in Huddersfield, England. His father is from Carriacou, Grenada and his mother is from Yorkshire, England. He came to Canada with his parents in 1976 and grew up in social housing in Flemingdon Park in North York.^[4] Coteau's family was low-income and he had to borrow the money needed to cover his university application fee from a friend's father.^[5] He attended Carleton University and graduated with a degree in history and political science.^[6]

After graduation, he taught English in South Korea.^[7]

Coteau was a Toronto District School Board Trustee for Ward 17, winning elections in 2003, 2006, and 2010.^[6] As a trustee, he advocated for student nutrition, community use of space, and the use of educational technology.^[6] He initiated the 'Community Use of Schools' motion that cut user fees and made schools more accessible to groups that offer programs for children.^[6] He helped introduce nutritional changes in schools that supported healthy food programs and increased awareness of student hunger.^[6] In addition to his work as a trustee, Coteau served as the executive director and chief executive officer of a national adult literacy firm, and worked as a community organizer in the Malvern area of Scarborough, Ontario with the United Way.^[8] He also owned and operated his own small business.