Leona Alleslev

Leona Alleslev (born March 16, 1968) is a Canadian politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill in the House of Commons. Originally elected as a Liberal in the 2015 federal election, on September 17, 2018, she crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party, citing alleged disagreements with the Liberal government over their handling of the economy and foreign affairs. On October 21, 2019, she was re-elected as a Conservative. Following the election, Alleslev was appointed as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, a position she resigned on July 12, 2020.
Member of Parliament.
From December 2, 2015, to January 27, 2017, Leona Alleslev served as the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Alleslev currently is a member of the Standing Committee on National Defence and the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
During the General Meeting of the Parliamentary NATO Association on October 30, 2018, Alleslev was ousted from her role as Chair and replaced with Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj. The Conservatives attempted to delay the vote by having their staffers break into a rendition of Stan Rogers' Barrett's Privateers while pouring and passing around a bottle of unknown liquid, later confirmed to be alcohol by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. Conservatives were criticized as the meeting room was not hosting a reception or party; it was hosting a parliamentary association meeting, making the consumption of alcohol inappropriate.
On November 29, 2019, Andrew Scheer appointed Alleslev as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
On July 12, 2020, she announced that she was stepping down as Deputy Leader. She stated that the Conservative Party was in the process of choosing its next leader that will guide them through Canada's next chapter and it was too important for her to be on the sidelines. She also stated her interest in engaging in one of the leadership campaigns in the 2020 leadership race. On July 13, 2020, she endorsed Peter MacKay to be the next Conservative leader. Peter MacKay's campaign claims it did not cut a deal with her to get her endorsement and she stated that "My loyalty can’t be bought, it must be earned". She was succeeded as deputy leader by Candice Bergen.
Military service and work experience.
The eldest daughter of RCAF Major-General Ian Alleslev, Leona Alleslev graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1991, and served as a logistics officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, taking voluntary release at the rank of captain. Alleslev also worked as a senior manager in the aerospace industry and the Department of National Defence.