Scott Aitchison
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (April 2022) |
Scott Aitchison | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aitchison in 2022 | |
| Member of Parliament for Parry Sound-Muskoka | |
| Assumed office October 21, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Tony Clement |
| Mayor of Huntsville | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – October 28, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Claude Doughty |
| Succeeded by | Karin Terziano |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 14, 1973[1] Huntsville, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence | Huntsville[2] |
| Alma mater | York University[3] |
| Profession | Realtor, Mayor, Politician |
| Website | www |
Scott Aitchison MP (/ˈeɪtʃɪsən/ AY-chiss-ən, born January 14, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka since 2019.[4][1] A member of the Conservative Party, he previously served as the Mayor of Huntsville from 2014 to 2019.[5]
Aitchison ran unsuccessfully for party leadership. He lost his bid in 2022, placing last with one percentage point.[6]
Early career
[edit]In his early years, Aitchison worked in sales with Coldwell Banker Thompson Real Estate,[7] and Fowler Construction. He was also previously a consultant with Enterprise Canada Group from 1998-2004.[citation needed]
He was a co-chair of the organizing committee for the 2012 Ontario Para Winter Games in Huntsville.[8]
Municipal politics
[edit]Aitchison was first elected to the Huntsville Town Council in 1994 at the age of 21, where he served for three terms. At the time, he was the youngest individual ever elected to Huntsville Town Council and Muskoka District Council. He was elected again as a District and Town Councilor in 2010 and was Deputy Mayor for the next four years. He was elected mayor in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. He served the office until October 28, 2019.[9]
Federal politics
[edit]Aitchison won the Conservative nomination in 2019, defeating three other candidates,[10] and subsequently won the general election in October of the same year. After winning re-election in 2021, Aitchison was appointed to the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Minister for Labour.[11]
In December 2021, Aitchison worked directly with Liberal Minister Seamus O'Regan to include in Government Bill C-3 an extension of bereavement leave for grieving parents who work in federally regulated industries. This change thereby incorporated a previously tabled private member’s bill from Conservative MP Tom Kmiec into the government’s legislation. O'Regan said that the display of cross-party support was a rarity.[12]
On March 3, 2022, it was reported that Aitchison was preparing a bid for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada with a campaign focused around character and tone.[13] Aitchison officially launched his campaign on March 20 at a rally in Huntsville.[14] On September 10, it was announced that Pierre Poilievre won the leadership on the first ballot.[15]
Aitchison is currently serving as party’s critic for diversity and inclusion.[16]
Political positions
[edit]During the 2022 leadership race, Aitchison was characterized as a centrist.[16] However, he prefers to seem himself as a "small-c conservative".[16]
Political polarization
[edit]During the Canada convoy protest, Aitchison expressed his concern with what he described as the “growing divide in Canada” and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of not talking to Canadians he disagrees with.[17] While delivering a speech in the House of Commons, Aitchison stated his desire to see politicians find compromise and “disagree without hating each other.”[18]
Housing
[edit]Aitchison started his leadership campaign by releasing a plan to address what he described as a Canadian housing crisis. His plan, "YIMBY: A Plan to Build More Homes for Canadians", had four main aims: ending exclusionary zoning, increasing the number of tradespeople through education and immigration, increasing affordable and social housing, and cracking down on money laundering in Canadian real-estate.[19]
Bill 21
[edit]Aitchison has spoken out against the 2019 Quebec Act respecting the laicity of the State, also known as Bill 21. In his launch speech for the Conservative Party leadership, Aitchison said, "Our Party has a proud tradition of being a voice for freedom of religion around the world. We need to have the courage of our convictions to do the same here at home, in every province and territory. Freedom of religion is a charter right. This includes the right of every single Canadian to proudly wear a cross, hijab, turban or a kippah at their place of work. Bill 21 is wrong, and I will stand against it."[20]
CANZUK
[edit]Aitchison is supportive of CANZUK, a proposed alliance of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to increase trade, foreign policy, and military co-operation. He was named to lead two cross-party working groups aimed to facilitate discussions on freer movement and trade within the partner countries.[21]
Rural broadband
[edit]In his first intervention in the House of Commons, Aitchison raised concern about rural internet service in his riding. He believes there needs to be more competition in the market and federal investment in underserviced areas.[22]
Environment
[edit]Aitchison is an advocate for what he describes as a credible federal climate change plan that would permit industry to find innovative methods of reducing emissions. He is opposed to a carbon tax, stating that it "disproportionally hurts lower-income Canadians living in rural areas".[23]
LGBTQ+
[edit]On May 17, 2023, Aitchison joined fellow Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner and members of the federal Liberal Party, Green Party, and NDP in releasing a statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Aitchison tweeted, "You belong. You matter. No matter who you are. No matter who you love".[24] Aitchison told The Hill Times in February 2024 that he supports trans people's right to live without government restrictions, but did not comment on Pierre Poilievre's remarks or Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's policies on trans people.[25]
Electoral record
[edit]Federal
[edit]
| 2021 Canadian federal election: Parry Sound—Muskoka | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Scott Aitchison | 26,600 | 47.9 | +6.1 | $51,208.95 | |||
| Liberal | Jovanie Nicoyishakiye | 12,014 | 21.6 | -8.8 | $16,882.76 | |||
| New Democratic | Heather Hay | 9,339 | 16.8 | +5.1 | $7,768.65 | |||
| People's | James Tole | 4,184 | 7.5 | N/A | $4,502.18 | |||
| Green | Marc Mantha | 3,099 | 5.6 | -9.8 | $17,519.77 | |||
| Independent | Daniel Predie Jr | 169 | 0.3 | -0.4 | $0.00 | |||
| National Citizens Alliance | James Fawcett | 95 | 0.2 | $29.70 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 55,500 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 299 | |||||||
| Turnout | 55,799 | 65.01 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 85,831 | |||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[26] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Parry Sound—Muskoka | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Scott Aitchison | 22,845 | 41.8 | -1.50 | $77,914.80 | |||
| Liberal | Trisha Cowie | 16,615 | 30.4 | -8.48 | $71,267.46 | |||
| Green | Gord Miller | 8,409 | 15.4 | +8.18 | $55,284.74 | |||
| New Democratic | Tom Young | 6,417 | 11.7 | +1.59 | none listed | |||
| Independent | Daniel Predie Jr | 377 | 0.7 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 54,663 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 392 | |||||||
| Turnout | 55,055 | 66.4 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 82,930 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.49 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[27][28] | ||||||||
Municipal
[edit]| 2014 Huntsville mayoral election | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate [29] | Vote | % |
| Scott Aitchison | 3,708 | 45.39 |
| Hugh Mackenzie | 2,264 | 27.71 |
| Tim Withey | 2,198 | 26.90 |
| 2018 Huntsville mayoral election | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate [30] | Vote | % |
| Scott Aitchison | 5,318 | 81.83 |
| Peggy Peterson | 1,181 | 18.17 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Scott Mr. Scott Aitchison, M.P." House of Commons of Canada. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Scott Aitchison on LinkedIn
- ^ "Canada election results: Parry Sound—Muskoka". October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "Huntsville Mayor Scott Aitchison is ready to hit the campaign trail". MuskotaRegion.com. April 2, 2019. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "Pierre Poilievre wins Conservative leadership on first ballot". CTVNews. 2022-09-10. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Scott-Aitchison". Coldwell Banker.
- ^ "Bidding on Games". p80.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
- ^ "Past Mayors of Huntsville". huntsville.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ Crosse, Doug (2019-07-08). "Aitchison takes conservative nomination for Parry Sound-Muskoka". My Parry Sound Now. Archived from the original on 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
- ^ Bay 88.7FM, The. "MP Scott Aitchison Announced as Conservative Shadow Minister of Labour". The Bay 88.7FM. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Woolf, Marie (December 21, 2021). "Liberals, Tories co-operate on extending leave for grieving parents". CTVNews. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Conservative MP Scott Aitchison preparing a bid for party leadership - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ Pamela, Steel. "Scott Aitchison launches Conservative leadership campaign at Huntsville microbrewery". Toronto Star. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Tasker, John Paul (September 10, 2022). "Conservative members pick MP Pierre Poilievre to be their new leader". CBC News. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Lantsman calls Poilievre's remarks on trans women 'the position of the Conservative Party'". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ "I have never seen our country more divided: MP Scott Aitchison". February 10, 2022. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Publication Search". www.ourcommons.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "YIMBY: A Plan to Build More Homes for Canadians". votescott.ca. April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ Aitchison, Scott. "Launching my Campaign for Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada". YouTube.
- ^ Sitler, Matthew. "MP Scott Aitchison Named Lead on CANZUK Working Groups". Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "The current state of rural internet service is unacceptable: MP Scott Aitchison". September 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "We must protect the natural environment locally and do our part globally: MP Scott Aitchison". April 17, 2021. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "'Act before it gets worse': advocates call for feds to keep the LGBTQ2S+ community safe as Pride approaches". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ "Lantsman calls Poilievre's remarks on trans women 'the position of the Conservative Party'". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "List of Candidates (Non-Certified)". huntsville.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
- ^ "2018 Certified Municipal Election Results". huntsville.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-25.