Conservative MP Scott Aitchison to resign by end of year, sources say Scott Aitchison, MP for Parry Sound‑Muskoka, will leave his seat by the end of 2026, creating a new vacancy in the House. The decision comes after the party's leadership and the prior appointment of former MP Richard Martel to the Senate. Scott Aitchison, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ontario's Parry Sound‑Muskoka riding, is slated to resign his seat by the end of 2026, according to senior Conservative sources. The decision was communicated to party leader Pierre Poilievre last week, and Aitchison's departure will be announced next month. The resignation will add another vacancy to the House of Commons, which currently has six empty seats. Aitchison, who first entered Parliament in the 2019 federal election, had been a prominent figure in the Conservative Party. He was a candidate in the 2022 leadership race, finishing fifth, and served as Premier Pierre Poilievre's housing critic after Poilievre won the leadership.Parliamentary Turnover Highlights Housing Critic ResignationThe former Muskoka mayor had previously run his own campaigns and positioned housing policy as a key issue. The timing of the resignation comes shortly after former Conservative MP Richard Martel was sworn into the Senate early this summer, after being appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Martel's move opened another parliamentary seat, heightening the sense of turnover in the House. Aitchison's decision means another vacancy for the 2026 fall sitting.In the coming weeks, a by-election will likely be called to fill the seat. Liberal former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, former Liberal MP Shaun Chen, NDP former MP Alexandre Boulerice and Bloc Québécois MP Simon‑Pierre Savard‑Tremblay have all recently left federal politics for other pursuits, underscoring a broader trend of turnover. Party insiders said the resignation was a "real body blow" for Poilievre, who had hoped to maintain a strong parliamentary presence in the lead‑up to the next election.Poilievre's team will now need to focus on selecting a candidate who can win in Parry Sound‑Muskoka and keep the Conservative presence robust. The Canadian press has reported that the decision was announced to Poilievre "last week," and that the MP's departure would be publicly announced next week. No public statement has yet been released from Aitchison himself.Byelection Timing Shifts House Of Commons BalanceAs the House contends with these vacancies, the schedule for a by‑election and the process for selecting a successor are still being clarified by the Conservative leadership. Analysts note that if the seat falls to another party, it could further shift the balance of power in the House.This news arrives as the federal government moves forward with other key changes, including the re‑appointment of former MP Richard Martel to the Senate, and the ongoing adjustments to the party's committee structures.