Former high-ranking Conservative Alleslev eyeing return to Parliament

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Published in the Canadian Press

By Kyle Duggan​​​​​
 

OTTAWA — Former ranking Conservative MP Leona Alleslev said she will vie to run under the party banner again in the next election.

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The former MP of six years and one-time leadership hopeful is throwing her hat in the ring for the party nomination in Kingston and the Islands.

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“I have unfinished business in the House of Commons to try to make Canada a more secure, more prosperous, more united country,” she said.

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The former air force officer had formerly represented the GTA seat of Aurora_Oak Ridges_Richmond Hill, but said she has long wanted to return to her hometown of Kingston, where she grew up as part of a military family.

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“I thought perhaps I was finished with politics, but my husband is close to retirement and our kids are grown up, and so we’re now in a position to look at choosing where we want to live, rather than having to live where we are for other reasons.”

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Alleslev was originally swept into office in 2015 under the Liberal banner, but crossed the floor to the Tories in 2018 ahead of the election, criticizing how the governing Liberals were handling the economy and foreign affairs.

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She was re-elected as a Conservative in 2019 and became deputy leader under former leader Andrew Scheer, but lost her seat in 2021 to Liberal MP Leah Taylor Roy.

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Alleslev had supported Peter McKay in his 2020 leadership bid.

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She later announced her own run for the party leadership in 2022, in the race where current leader Pierre Poilievre won his decisive victory.

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Alleslev, however, had to quickly bow out because she did not raise enough funds to clear the entrance bar. She said she had entered the race at too late a stage to meet the deadline.

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She’ll be facing off in this nomination battle against Jarrod Stearns, chair of the Kingston Police Services Board. Local media have also reported speculation that Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson may also compete for the position.

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Poilievre has soared far ahead in the polls for more than the past year, with such a massive lead that the numbers suggest his party could be swept into office in a wave next year, if fortunes don’t start to turn around for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

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Even still, whoever wins the party mantle in Kingston may not have an easy fight ahead.

That riding has been locked down as a Liberal seat since 1988, when then up-and-comer Peter Milliken defeated former PC cabinet minister Flora MacDonald.

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Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen has firmly gripped the seat since Trudeau’s ascent to power in 2015.

“To be able to have the opportunity to work in the best interest of Canada and help Mark Gerretsen seek opportunities elsewhere would be a great honour,” Alleslev said.

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A date is not yet set for the nomination race.

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The Article can be found here

FORMER MP, AIR FORCE OFFICER, SEEKS KINGSTON AND THE ISLANDS CONSERVATIVE NOMINATION.

Kingston, ON – Leona Alleslev, Former Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and Canada’s
Conservatives, will seek the Conservative Nomination for Kingston and The Islands.

Leona Alleslev, an executive leader, entrepreneur, and former air force officer served as a Member of Parliament for 6 years. She has deep ties to Kingston, having lived in the city in her youth, and having graduated from RMC. 

During her years in the House of Commons, Leona served as Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

 

Leona also held the positions of Shadow Cabinet Minister for Foreign Affairs and Global Security; Chair of Canada’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and as a member of a number of House of Commons committees, including citizenship and immigration, defence and foreign affairs as well as the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

Prior to entering politics Leona held leadership positions at Bombardier Aerospace in aircraft
manufacturing and IBM as a global management consultant leading large computer systems
implementations.

As an entrepreneur she owned and operated a canoe outfitting business providing adventure tourism experiences in the Temagami wilderness area.

 

From her early career as an Air Force Logistics Officer, Leona has been dedicated to furthering Canada’s democracy, sovereignty, security and prosperity.

Leona and her husband Ted were married in Kingston and have two adult children.

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Leona has lived and worked all across Canada, but is now excited to return to her home town and serve the citizens of Kingston as their voice in Ottawa.

For further enquiries leona@leonaalleslev.ca
Website www.leonaalleslev.ca

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Read the speech MP Leona Alleslev delivered before quitting the Liberals and crossing the floor to join the Tories

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Author of the article:

National Post Staff

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OTTAWA — On Monday afternoon, the first day of the new parliamentary session, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev rose in the House of Commons on a question of privilege and announced she was crossing the floor, leaving the Liberals to become a member of the Conservative caucus. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer promptly named her to his shadow cabinet, appointing her as his new global security critic.

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A retired officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force and former manager with IBM and Bombardier Aerospace, the Toronto-area MP served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement from December 2015 until her removal from the role in January 2017. In the 2015 election, she beat Conservative opponent Costas Menegakis by just over 1000 votes. Here’s a transcript of the speech she delivered before walking across the House of Commons to sit with the opposition, as posted to her Facebook page:

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When I became an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, I swore an oath to give my life for Queen and country — to serve and defend Canada, and the values for which it stands.

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A country, its sovereignty, and values are fragile. Vigilance in defending our nation’s freedom, and service to country, is who I am at my core.

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When I left the military, I hung up my uniform, but I never unswore my oath. And now I serve Canadians by representing the people of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill as their member of parliament.

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I am deeply concerned for the future of our country. After 3 years of hope and hard work, I find myself asking:

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“Am I doing everything I can to serve my country and work for real change for Canadians?”

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Canadians expect — and deserve — nothing less. The citizens of my riding, and all Canadians, need a government that delivers foundational change for the things that matter.

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The world has changed dramatically in the last three years. We find ourselves in a time of unprecedented global instability. We are seeing fundamental shifts in the global economy, while trade relationships, international agreements, and defence structures are under threat. Canada faces a perfect storm of serious challenges at home and abroad.

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Here at home, we see large amounts of capital investment leaving Canada while tax structures, federal infrastructure problems and politics prevent us from getting goods to market, deter companies from expanding and undermine our competitiveness. For the first time in many years, Canadians don’t believe that tomorrow will be better than today and that their children’s future will be than theirs.

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This is not a strong economy.

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Beyond our borders, our position remains vastly diminished. Our foreign policy is disconnected from our trade relationships and our ability to deliver on our defence commitments is undermined by politics.

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And on the world stage Canada has yet to rise to the occasion. The world has changed, and Canada must change with it. We don’t have the luxury of time.

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We must recognize that foreign policy, trade, defence, and our economy all depend on each other and can’t be viewed separately.

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As a former air force officer, a global business consultant at IBM, an aircraft manufacturing manager at Bombardier, and a small business owner. I understand the role and impact of government actions on Canada’s economy.

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To have a strong economy and a strong country we need strong Federal leadership to rebuild our nation’s foundations; tax reform, employment reform, federal infrastructure, a comprehensive foreign policy, and a modernized military to reassure our allies and defend Canada’s interests at home and abroad.

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Our parliamentary system consists of political parties. However, political parties are only made up of the people who are in them at the time and must also be judged by what the country needs at the time. Today, we find ourselves at a tipping point in our country’s history.

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It’s my duty to stand and be counted. Our country is at risk. My attempts to raise my concerns with this government were met with silence.

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The government must be challenged openly and publicly. But for me to publicly criticize the government as a Liberal, would undermine the government and, according to my code of conduct, be dishonourable.

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After careful and deliberate consideration, I must withdraw from the government benches to take my seat among the ranks of my Conservative colleagues and join Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition whose role it is to challenge and hold the government to account.

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Le gouvernement doit être défié ouvertement et publiquement. Mais, pour moi, critiquer le gouvernement comme libérale, minerait le gouvernement, et serait un déshonneur selon mon code de conduite.

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Après une réflexion délibérée et attentive, je dois quitter les banquettes du gouvernement, pour prendre place parmi mes collègues conservateurs et joindre la Loyale Opposition de Sa Majesté dont le rôle est de contester et demander des comptes au gouvernement.

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The Leader of Her Majesty’s opposition is committed to delivering foundational changes to strengthen Canada’s economy, and a comprehensive foreign and defence policy that ensures our global competitiveness and security.

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I look forward to working with my Conservative colleagues who are unafraid to do the real work to tackle the priorities of our time.

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To my Liberal colleagues, I want to thank them for the opportunity to work with them and for their friendship. But my oath is to country, not party, and my sacred obligation is to serve my constituents. I look forward to working with my Liberal colleagues, across the aisle, to shape the future of the country for all Canadians.

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To my constituents, I want to re-assure them that I am the same person today that they elected on October 19, 2015. I believe in a strong, ethical Federal Government that unites us as Canadians. To achieve what they demand of me, I must change political parties.

 

I must do what is right, not what is easy.

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I ask the citizens of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill to continue to hold me to account as I serve them and work as part of a new team focussed on the fundamental challenges facing our riding and our nation.

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And to all Canadians across this country — I say: Challenge your Member of Parliament. Demand that they work for you to strengthen our country’s foundations, foreign policy and global security. Do not accept the status quo. This is a time in our nation’s history where we must act with urgency. We must all, have the courage to do what is right not what is easy. Our country is at stake.

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Thank you.

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Read the Article HERE

Decision to cross the floor came at “a tipping point,” says MP

 

Published in The Auroran
By Brock Weir

She asked herself if she could look her constituents in the face, but also if she could look at herself in the mirror at the end of the day knowing she had done everything she could to represent the interests Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill.

 

That is what Member of Parliament Leona Alleslev says played a factor in her surprise decision to cross the floor of the House of Commons on Monday from the Liberal benches to the Conservative Party.

 

At the time, she said she stood in the House “deeply concerned for the future of the country.” The world, she said, has dramatically changed over the last three years, leading to “fundamental shifts in the global economy while trade relationships, international agreements, and defence structures are under threat” – a “perfect storm” of serious challenges that needs strong leadership.

 

That, she said, was not on offer in the Liberal Party.

 

“My attempts to raise my concerns with this government were met with silence,” said Ms. Alleslev. “The Government must be challenged openly, and for me to publicly criticize the government as a Liberal would undermine the government according to my code of conduct, [and would] be dishonourable. After careful and deliberate consideration, I announce today that I am withdrawing from the Government benches to take my seat among my Conservative colleagues under the strong leadership of Andrew Scheer.”

 

Speaking to The Auroran, Ms. Alleslev says that her primary focus is to represent constituents. During the course of the last Federal election campaign, Ms. Alleslev says she campaigned on structural changes around tax reform, employment reform, foreign policy, and defence. Her work in the House of Commons has included time as Parliamentary Secretary for Procurement with a defence on Defence Procurement, and chairing Canada’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Association, working on the Defence Committee.

 

“I have been working for three years inside the tent on all of those things to try and make sure that we honour the commitments we made in the campaign and to bring about some of the really structural and significant changes this country needs,” says Ms. Alleslev.

 

There was no one thing that made her think that her advice wasn’t being heeded, she adds. Rather, her decision was a cumulative decision based on a number of factors.

 

“It just builds over time to really you hit a tipping point,” says Ms. Alleslev. “It was a combination of the things going on in Canada, and we have talked before on the unprecedented global instability and the significant changes going on around the world. What really happened was all these cumulative things I felt really needed to be addressed. At the same time, as the world [changes] almost rapidly around us, that came to a point where we don’t have the luxury of time. I needed to exercise a sense of urgency.

 

“Ever since I joined the military and I swore my oath to serve and defend the country, I actually ask myself every day if I am doing everything I can. More recently, I was really thinking, I may only have a year left before the next election, so I need to know if I can look my constituents in the face and look at myself in the mirror and know that while I was here, with that sacred obligation to represent them, did I do absolutely everything in my power to make the changes I committed to them, and that we believe are necessary for Canada at this point in time.”

 

As a Member of Parliament, Ms. Alleslev says she is the same person today that she was during the election campaign. It is her name on the ballot, she says, and she hopes voters look at the individuals to determine who is best to represent them in Ottawa.

 

“If that is not the case, then what is the role of a Member of Parliament, if not for an individual going there to represent constituents and do the job they are paid to do? The question is, what is their role as Member of Parliament.”

 

In joining the Conservative caucus, Ms. Alleslev forewent the option of sitting as an independent for the remainder of her current term in office. Joining the Official Opposition was a decision she says was based on “certain specific foundational changes that we believe are necessary for the country” including tax reform, employment reform, federal infrastructure, comprehensive foreign policy and defence.

 

Constituents said these are important issues to them, she says, and she feels the same way.

 

“I am excited to be part of a team under a leader that also prioritizes those things,” she says. “I had quite a significant conversation with him (Mr. Scheer) before I made this decision just to ensure that he really was focused on those priorities and I really would have the opportunity to represent my constituents in that way.”

 

As for the issue of timing, Ms. Alleslev said she hit that tipping point “in the last couple of months” and she thought in her final year, “what can I do differently in the next year to make more of an impact.”

 

It was a “difficult decision” to change political parties by literally crossing the floor, and “it is definitely a test of your nerve to stand in the House of Commons and make your kind of speech,” she says, but it is the only way she says it could have been done.

 

“I believe in the structure of government, I believe in the institution of government, and I believe in the role of government almost independent of political party,” she says. “We live in a time where Canadians are actually losing confidence in the structure of government, not just the people, but the actual structure of government, to do the greatest good for the greatest number of Canadians, and do what is in the public interest. The role of an opposition is to publicly challenge the Government and hold them to account. The role of the Government is to govern. To tear down a government by criticizing them publicly from within would undermine the Government and would cause citizens to lose confidence in the institution, in democracy, in the structure of our government. That would be wrong.

 

“We have an incredible structure, so you honour that structure. When you come to a point, for me, as a Member of Parliament, where you need to have a public conversation around the future direction of the country and against the government, then you need to do that from an opposition perspective, not from within the government.”

 

When asked, however, whether this cycle would begin again should she be re-elected as a Conservative MP next year as a member of a Conservative government and their priorities diverge, she replied, “That is why I decided to join a leader and a team only after comprehensive conversation to ensure that we are aligned on the policies and the priorities of where we thought the country needed to go.”

 

Read the Article Here