Conservative MP Scott Aitchison expected to resign by the end of the year
- Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, representing Parry Sound—Muskoka, is expected to resign from the House of Commons by the end of the year, becoming the eighth Conservative to leave the caucus since the last election.
- Aitchison, a former Huntsville mayor and 2019 Conservative MP, ran unsuccessfully for party leadership in 2022, finishing fourth against Pierre Poilievre.
- His resignation poses a political challenge for Poilievre, as the riding he won in 2021 with a 10-point lead could potentially flip to the Liberals in a by-election.
- Recent by-election losses and other resignations, including in Quebec and Ontario ridings, intensify pressures on Poilievre to maintain Conservative seats ahead of future elections.
OTTAWA — Conservative MP and former leadership contender Scott Aitchison is expected to resign from the House of Commons by the end of the year, becoming the eighth party member to leave the caucus since last election.
Aitchison represents Parry Sound—Muskoka, a large rural Ontario riding a few hours north of Toronto and was first elected for the Conservatives in 2019 after serving for decades on Huntsville Town Council, where he was mayor from 2014 to 2019.
He also ran for Conservative leadership against Pierre Poilievre in 2022, where he finished fourth in a pool of four candidates.
His resignation was first reported by CTV News.
Aitchison’s resignation will spark a new political test for Poilievre as poll aggregator 338Canada suggests that Parry Sound—Muskoka could flip to the Liberals if a byelection were held today. Aitchison won the riding in 2025 with a 10 point lead over the Liberals.
This summer, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals won the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord from the Tories during a by-election sparked by Conservative MP Richard Martel’s appointment to the Senate.
Poilievre will also eventually have to fight to maintain the Ontario riding of Brantford—Brant South left vacant after the recent resignation of Conservative MP Larry Brock, who returned to his previous job as Crown prosecutor.
National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com