On Wednesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced which MPs will serve as critics in his ‘shadow cabinet’ when Parliament returns next week.
Parry Sound—Muskoka MP Scott Aitchison, who served as Huntsville mayor from 2014 to 2019 and has represented the federal riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka since 2019, will stay as housing critic.
Aitchison unsuccessfully ran against Poilievre for the party’s leadership in 2022, coming in last among five candidates after then-Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was disqualified.
Aitchison is one of 74 shadow cabinet members hand-picked by Poilievre, who lost his Ottawa area seat in the April 28, 2025 election and has appointed former Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer as interim party leader in the House.
Poilievre is expected to try to regain his seat in a by-election in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. Its MP, Damien Kurek, agreed to step down to allow Poilievre to run.
You can find a list of the Conservative shadow cabinet HERE
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
Does anyone really know what smiling Scott does? Other than submit his expense reports and enjoy his free ride at our expense. Just like all the others.
I’ve always appreciated Scott Aitchison’s respectful tone and history of public service here in Parry Sound–Muskoka. That said, I voted Liberal this time—and I expect I’ll continue to—because I’m deeply concerned about the national direction of the Conservative Party, especially under Pierre Poilievre.
The appointment of 74 shadow cabinet members isn’t a sign of serious leadership—it’s performative politics. And while Scott may not use the same inflammatory language as others in his party, he also hasn’t spoken out against the rage-fueled, clickbait-driven messaging that now defines the CPC under Poilievre.
Silence in the face of that kind of politics matters. It enables it. We need more than civility in tone—we need courage in action and that does not come from hatred, divisions or critical attacks.
I’m looking for leaders who will stand up for truth, unity, and practical solutions to Canada’s real challenges. Right now, I don’t see that in the Conservative Party. They urgently need to realign themselves to the centre.
Despite the rhetoric, current Conservative spending is anything but fiscally conservative. Worse, the party’s shift toward U.S.-style right-wing extremism—with its attacks on the media, its use of disinformation, and its flirtation with authoritarian tactics—is deeply troubling.
Now is the time for all Canadians to stand strong—for our country, our democracy, our values, and the economy we’ve built together. We must not let imported rage-politics rewrite what it means to be Canadian.
Congratulations to our MP on keeping the Housing file. Hope this time around he will be able to work effectively with the new Liberal government and now also with our MPP who has some status in the Ontario ministry for housing issues.It would be a very good thing to demonstrate the power of collaboration and possibilities of solutions vs the same old loud grinding of political conflict.
The same tired old conservative faces that lost the election.
Its time for change.