Alex Ruff MSC CD MP (born 1974) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 federal election and re-elected in the 2021 Canadian federal election. He is a retired Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Background and education

Ruff grew up on a farm just outside of Tara, ON the eldest of five boys. He attended Arran-Tara Elementary School and Chesley District High School. Ruff graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1997 with an Honours degree in space science.

Military career

As an infantry officer within The Royal Canadian Regiment and throughout his 25-year career, Ruff was posted to Garrison Petawawa, Kingston, CFB Gagetown, Canadian Forces College in Toronto, and to Canadian Special Operations Forces Command headquarters and Canadian Joint Operations Command both of which are in Ottawa. He had six operational deployments: Operation Recuperation (ice storm in eastern Ontario/western Quebec, 1998), twice as part of the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Operation Palladium (Bosnia, 1998–99 and 2001), two tours in Afghanistan, first on Operation Athena (Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2007 and then on Operation Attention in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2012) and most recently as part of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (Baghdad, Iraq in 2018–19). He retired from the CAF in early 2019.^[3][4][5]

Federal politics

In April 2019, Ruff won the Conservative nomination for the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for the 2019 federal election following the retirement of Larry Miller.^[6] He was elected as a Member of Parliament on October 21, 2019. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs from February to August 2020. On September 02, 2020, he was appointed to the Conservative Party House Leadership team by Erin O’Toole as the Deputy Opposition Whip. He served in this role until November 2021.^[7] On September 20, 2021, he was re-elected as the MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. From December 9, 2021 until June 2022, he sat on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) and from December 13, 2021 until June 2022, he was a member on the Special Committee on Afghanistan (AFGH). Since June 2022, he has been a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

Electoral record