• Retired bilingual infantry Colonel in The Royal Canadian Regiment (The RCR) after more than 25 years of service

 

• Loving father of a 10-year-old daughter

 

• Eldest of five sons to Tom and Mabel Ruff

 

• Grew up on a farm just outside Tara, Ontario

 

• Member of the Tara Branch 383 of the Royal Canadian Legion for more than 30 years, Life member and member of the Honorary Advisory Council of The Royal Canadian Regiment Association and Life member of the Royal Military College Ex-Cadet Club

 

• SCUBA Divemaster, canoeist, outdoors enthusiast

 

• Proud rural Canadian who thinks Canada is the best country in the world

 

• Chesley District High School (CDHS) graduate, Royal Military College graduate; Honours Bachelors of Space Science
   

• Believes that politicians represent the people who elected them, first and foremost

• Trustworthy:  was a trusted member of the senior leadership team, and of his subordinates, peers and superiors

 

• Always Learning: history of fostering an atmosphere of continuous improvement by removing barriers and driving forward programs and initiatives

 

• Motivated: Highly motivated to channel past experiences serving with the military into an opportunity to further serve in a different capacity; believes in helping others

 

• Results-oriented: strong work ethic, well-developed ability to set goals and establish priorities to achieve results that work for everyone

• Leader: Dynamic, pragmatic and focused leader with 25 successful years working in the defence industry, in military operations, and with all levels of government (both here in Canada and around the world)

 

• Manager: Responsible and accountable for managing budgets of more than $30 million

 

• Team builder: Managed and supervised civilian, military and multi-national teams of 50-1000 personnel, has strong interpersonal skills and strives to be a role model for others to emulate

 

• Communicator: possesses excellent communication skills; able to articulate and defend important issues while ensuring all facts are considered in decision making; bilingual

 

• Problem Solver: demonstrated history of reviewing and critically analyzing complex problems and procedures

• 2011-13: commanded infantry battalion (approximately 1000 soldiers) and Chief of Staff for the Canadian contribution to the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan

 

• 2014-16: Deputy Director for planning all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations (domestic and international) including reviewing military portions of Memorandums to Cabinet, Trustee for The RCR Trust Fund, and member of the Board of Directors for The RCR Museum

 

• 2017-18: served as Director for all joint training for the CAF including leading the designing, planning and execution of a Public Safety consequence management exercise with more than 47 different government departments and agencies (municipal, provincial, federal and US), briefed Assistant Deputy Ministers' committees, worked with  NORAD, US Joint Staff, NATO, and other allies

 

• 2018-19: Chief of Staff for the multi-national Ministerial Liaison Team advising the Iraqi Ministry of Defence and Iraqi Ministry of Interior in Baghdad, Iraq 

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• 2019: Elected as the Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
   

• 2019-20: Member of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.
   

• 2020-21: Official Opposition Deputy Whip. Member of the Joint Interparliamentary Council.
   

• 2021: Member of the Canada-Ireland Interparliamentary Group, Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association and Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. Re-elected as the MP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.

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• 2021-22: Member of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities and the Special Committee on Afghanistan.
   

• 2022: Appointed to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

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