Michael Philip Strickland was born August 17th, 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the second of three children of Shelly Glover, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. He grew up in the small town of Beausejour, Manitoba until he moved back to Winnipeg, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. He graduated from Windsor Park Collegiate located in the St.Boniface area of Winnipeg.