Full Breakdown
Conservative MP Scott Aitchison Expected to Resign Later This Fall
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Three sources told CBC News that Scott Aitchison, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ontario’s Parry Sound-Muskoka riding, plans to leave his seat before the end of the fall parliamentary session. A senior Conservative source said party leader Pierre Poilievre was informed last week of Aitchison’s intention, and another source indicated the resignation will be announced publicly next week. Aitchison’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Recent Turnover Among Federal MPs
Aitchison’s departure would join a series of recent exits from federal politics. Earlier this summer, Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed former Conservative MP Richard Martel to the Senate, and Martel was sworn in shortly thereafter. Former MPs Cathay Wagantall and Larry Brock stepped down in the past month, while former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault resigned last month and former Liberal MP Shaun Chen left in mid-August. On the opposition side, former NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice and Bloc Québécois member Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay also exited to pursue provincial campaigns. CBC reports that six seats in the House of Commons are currently vacant.
Aitchison’s Parliamentary Role and Background
Aitchison, a former mayor of Huntsville, first won his seat in the 2019 federal election. He ran for the Conservative leadership in 2022, finishing fifth, and was subsequently appointed the party’s housing critic by Poilievre. Housing policy was a central theme of his leadership bid.
Potential Impact on the House of Commons
The expected resignation will create another vacancy, further reducing the number of sitting members and potentially affecting committee assignments and party caucus dynamics. With six seats already empty, the Conservative caucus will lose an experienced critic on housing issues at a time when the party is shaping its policy platform.
Official Responses
No comment was received from Aitchison’s office. Poilievre’s office has not issued a statement regarding the planned departure. The Prime Minister’s office confirmed the recent Senate appointment of Richard Martel but offered no remarks on the forthcoming Conservative resignation.