Conservative MP Karen Vecchio has announced she will not be running in the next federal election, saying that all politicians have an “expiry date.”
“Next year when the federal election occurs, I will have been at 10 years. And for me, I believe everybody has an expiry date. And I know it’s time for me to be home.”
Back in 2004, Ms. Vecchio began working for then-MP Joe Preston, eventually becoming his executive assistant. Ms. Vecchio was first elected in his Ontario riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London in 2015, and won re-election by a large margin in 2019 and 2021.
Ms. Vecchio was named shadow minister for women and gender equality in 2019, and in 2020 she was named deputy House leader for the Opposition by then-Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole.
In the interview, Ms. Vecchio said she had decided to “put my riding first” by not running for re-election, preferring to “return to the needs and commitments of my family.”
Ms. Vecchio said that while in Parliament, she will continue working on issues such as violence against women, safety in sports, and human trafficking. “I can continue to do that work, even not being in the role as a member of Parliament. There’s opportunities in the community to volunteer,” she said.
The MP said her parting message is that she would “work hard for the next year” and ensure her riding continues to be held by the Conservative Party. “I want this to be a Conservative-held riding. That’s who I am, that’s the values of many people in this community. I would say we are very fiscally responsible and very socially open,” she said.
“I think it’s going to be a very, very difficult year. We’re going to have to see what the Liberal government’s up to, what’s going to happen with their leadership,” she said.
Ms. Vecchio, who has long been the chair of the Parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women, said she was proud of the 14 reports that the committee had submitted while she was in the role. Back in April, Ms. Vecchio was shuffled out of her role as chair of the committee and replaced with Conservative MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman.
Ms. Vecchio is one of 38 MPs who have resigned or decided not to run for re-election in 2025. These include 21 Liberals, 10 Conservatives, six New Democrats, and one Independent MP.
