Honoured To Serve As Your MP

It’s my pleasure to represent the people of the Bay of Quinte.  

And I’m extremely proud to have been elected the first Conservative Member from my riding. 

I want to thank all the volunteers that worked hard putting their time into my election especially my Campaign manager, Susan Smith.  As many know, this is also a family affair.  My mother Heather was one of my greatest volunteers, an Atlantic Canadian, born in Fredericton, and raised in Prince Edward Island.  Door knocking is just easy to maritimers! My kids were all involved as well: Jack 8, Patrick 7, and Zooey, 4.  

My biggest thanks goes to my wife, Allyson. The biggest sacrifice in this job are our families, and especially our partners.  I’m not sure if this was meant to scare us, our first week in training in the House of Commons, but in one seminar in balancing work and family, it was stated that 75% of MPs get divorced during their time here. So I moved right next to my father-in-law here in Ottawa, which HE says is a blessing and a curse, time will tell! It’s a big sacrifice to families to be here.  My biggest thanks and love goes to my wife who is home with our children right now so I can work in this house to make our region and our country better.  My wife and her family are from Thunder Bay or T-bay as she affectionately calls it. And Thunder Bay residents are extremely strong people – and I went there once in the winter – and I can tell you that’s why they are so tough!  Why wife lives by a motto: Always Choose Love.  In 2015 we lost our son Teddy at birth with a congenital heart defect.  Every year there are thousands of Canadians who experience the terror of infant death or miscarriage, and Allyson was instrumental in our region for being a voice to woman that experience infant loss.  She has wrote a blog called www.alwayschooselove.net and she continues to be a tireless advocate for women.  She is a light for so many and I love her dearly. 

I’m would also be amiss to not talk about my grandfather and father, both who were political candidates provincially in 1975 and 2003 respectfully, for the Provincial Conservative Party, and who did not get to represent their constituents -which proves that 3^rd time is the Charm. Both men immensely contributed to the Bay of Quinte Region. My grandfather, Don Williams, was an entrepreneur, operating Stirling Motors for 20 years from 1956 and then operating successfully Williams Hotels, still active 42 years later. He raised awareness for organ donation in Canada, having successfully had a heart transplant himself in 1991.  He also was a big supporter of camp Quin-Mo-Lac and many local charities. My grandfather taught me tenacity. My father John Williams became the mayor of Quinte West for 8 years, and then the Honorary Colonel of 8-Wing, CFB Trenton.  My father passed away in 2020, but would have loved to have been here.  He lived by the motto – “Get Er’ Done”. My father, alongside long-time Ontario Liberal MPP Hugh O’Neil, created the Afghanistan Memorial in Bains Park in Quinte West, having attended all repatriation ceremonies during the Afghanistan War, and was instrumental in the creation of the Highway of Heroes to commemorate those men and woman of our military.  

As an MP I look forward to the challenge of representing my constituents in this House and feel very privileged to be here in this place.