John Brassard has served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Barrie-Innisfil since October 2015 when he was first elected to Parliament. John served three terms on Barrie City Council before deciding to run in the newly created riding of Barrie-Innisfil. John serves as the Opposition Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs.
Before politics John had a 30-year career as a Firefighter and in that time, he developed a great deal of experience in labour relations through his service as an Executive Member of the Markham Professional Firefighter’s Association. He served as President of the association for three years. His outgoing and friendly manner served him well in that role as it does today represent the constituents of Barrie-Innisfil.
John has been married for more than 30 years to Liane and they have four children: Jeff, Courtney, Matt and Mitch. John co-owned a small sports apparel marketing company, a business venture he founded with his father John.
His love of serving his community is demonstrated in his incredible community involvement and ongoing constituency work, always working to find answers and help the residents of Barrie and Innisfil. While on Barrie Council he served on several committee including Community Services, Economic Development, Infrastructure, Development Services, and Transit. His extensive work on Council provided John with the insight and understanding how different levels of government can work together.
Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose appointed John, then a newly elected MP as the Critic for Urban Affairs in November 2015. He was promoted to the Conservative Shadow Cabinet as the Critic for Veterans Affairs in October 2016. In his first turn as Critic assisting Veterans, he rebuilt a great deal of trust and was honest with Veterans and their families.
August 2017 he John joined the Leadership Team of the Conservative Party of Canada when he was appointed by Leader Andrew Scheer to serve as Deputy Opposition Whip. In the fall of 2019, John was reappointed to the Veterans Affairs file as the Opposition Shadow Minister. This is a role suited for John as he has the utmost respect for those that served our country and everyday, he serves as the Shadow Minister he honours those that died and works to makes sure our Veterans receive the support they deserve. This sense of honour is reflected in his Private Members Bill, C-378, where he sought to have a Military Covenant established to ensure Canadian Veterans receive the benefits they have earned and that the Veterans and their families are given the respect they deserve. John also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee of Veterans Affairs.
John works tirelessly for the people he represents and is a strong voice for the people of Barrie-Innisfil in Ottawa.
