Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio visited myFM this morning with an announcement sure to catch her constituents off guard.
The decision will bring to a conclusion what will be a 10-year run as MP.
She was first elected in 2015, easily defeating Liberal runner-up Lori Baldwin-Sands by almost 11,000 votes.
In the 2021 vote, Vecchio stretched that margin of victory to more than 19,000 votes over Liberal candidate Afeez Ajibowu.
But her career in politics began in 2004 in then-MP Joe Preston’s office.
Vecchio eventually became Preston’s Executive Assistant before being elected in 2015 after he stepped away from federal politics.
In 2019, Vecchio was named the new Shadow Minister for Women and Gender Equality. She had spent the past four years serving on the Status of Women Committee as both a member and as the chair. Vecchio previously worked as the Shadow Minister for Families, Children and Social Development.
The following year, then-Conservative leader Erin O’Toole named her Deputy Houser Leader of the Official Opposition.
She is thankful for Preston’s unwavering support throughout her political career.
A career that would not have been possible without a cheerleader like her husband, Mike Vecchio.
Vecchio has no regrets that her time spent as an MP was sitting on the Opposition side of the aisle.
Her political career has been “the best life lesson,” acknowledged Vecchio.
She is most proud of the work her office was able to undertake on behalf of the residents in Elgin-Middlesex-London.
With a Conservative majority a very distinct possibility after the next federal election, does Vecchio regret walking away from the opportunity to form the government?
We asked Vecchio what to expect in her final year in Ottawa.
And, stressed Vecchio, ensure it remains a Conservative stronghold.
As to life after representing her constituents on Parliament Hill, well, Vecchio is leaving her options open.
And although there is a year left in her term, Vecchio took the time to thank the residents of Elgin-Middlesex-London for the opportunity to represent them for what will be a full decade when she steps away.
