Scott Aitchison

Scott Aitchison represents Parry Sound-Muskoka as a Conservative Member of Parliament and ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2022, finishing third. His campaign was notable for taking positions that distinguished him from the Poilievre and Charest campaigns — he was more socially moderate than Poilievre, more fiscally conservative than Charest, and more explicitly committed to Conservative values of localism, individual freedom, and limited but effective government. Before federal politics, Aitchison was mayor of Huntsville — practical municipal experience that gave him a grounded understanding of how federal policy decisions land in small-town Ontario. Parry Sound-Muskoka is a riding with significant economic diversity: tourism and cottage economy, forestry, healthcare employment in Bracebridge and North Bay, and the particular challenges of a riding where permanent and seasonal residents have different and sometimes conflicting interests. His third-place leadership finish placed him clearly in the centrist wing of a party that chose to move right. He has since served as a critic and attempted to carve out a distinct voice on housing — the Conservative housing policy critique has been one of his more visible contributions, arguing for regulatory reform and supply-side approaches to affordability. The question for Aitchison is whether the kind of sensible small-town Conservatism he represents has a future in a party that is increasingly shaped by the politics of grievance and the culture wars of social media. His constituents in Parry Sound-Muskoka would benefit from his answer being yes.