Ontario PC backbencher arrested, out of caucus

Premier Doug Ford says MPP Chris Scott can answer as to why he was ejected from the PC caucus.

The Ontario member of provincial parliament for Sault Ste. Marie is facing domestic violence charges of assault and assault with a weapon, prompting him to be removed Monday from the Progressive Conservative caucus.

Court records show Chris Scott was charged for an alleged incident on Friday and was granted bail Monday after being arrested over the weekend. The documents specify the charges are being treated as alleged intimate partner violence and the weapon allegedly used was a high chair.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Scott is no longer a part of the Progressive Conservative caucus, but divulged little else.

“I was informed literally in the parking lot, as we were going through here,” Ford said when asked about Scott at an unrelated press conference Monday morning.

“Go to Sault Ste Marie police. I don’t want to interfere in a police investigation.”

Sault Ste. Marie police said Scott, 35, was arrested Sunday by Toronto police following an investigation by Sault Ste. Marie detectives.

“To protect the privacy of the victim(s), no further details regarding the incident or the charges will be released by the (Sault Ste. Marie Police Service),” the police wrote in a brief statement.

Calls to Scott’s constituency office went unanswered.

The charges against him have not been tested in court. Evidence presented at his bail hearing is covered by a standard publication ban.

Scott was elected just seven months ago in the February snap election.

The riding was previously represented by Ross Romano, who won a 2017 byelection but did not run for re-election earlier this year.

The NDP, whose candidate finished a very close second to Scott in the 2025 election, called for Scott to resign.

Scott was a backbencher in government, serving as parliamentary assistant to Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce. Previously, according to his LinkedIn profile, he held several senior staff positions for the Progressive Conservatives at the legislature, including as an adviser to the premier’s chief of staff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.

By Allison Jones