Chris Bittle

Christopher Joseph Bittle MP (born February 17, 1979) is a Canadian Liberal politician who was elected to represent the riding of St. Catharines in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election.[2] He currently serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change,[3] sitting on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.[4] He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and as Deputy House Leader of the Government.[5] Bittle is the youngest MP to hold the Deputy House Leader position in the House of Commons.[6]

Chris Bittle
MP
Member of Parliament
for St. Catharines
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byRick Dykstra
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Assumed office
March 19, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byPeter Schiefke
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
In office
December 12, 2019 – March 19, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byArnold Chan
Succeeded byKirsty Duncan
Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
In office
September 19, 2017 – September 11, 2019
Personal details
Born
Christopher Joseph Bittle

(1979-02-17) February 17, 1979
Niagara Falls, Ontario[1]
Political partyLiberal
Residence(s)St. Catharines, Ontario[1]
Alma mater
ProfessionLawyer

Early life and career

Born in Niagara Falls, Bittle graduated from St. Paul Catholic Secondary School[7] before attending Queen's University where he graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended law school at the University of Windsor where he received a Bachelor of Laws.[8][9] Before he was elected Member of Parliament, he worked at Lancaster, Brooks and Welch LLP,[10] as a civil litigator focusing in matters like commercial disputes, real state litigation defamation, and landlord tenant matters. In addition to practicing law Bittle also served as Chair of Quest Community Health Centre, a not-for-profit Community Health Centre in St. Catharines.[11] Bittle also worked as an instructor in the Department of Continuing Education at Niagara College and as seminar leader at Brock University.[12]

Political career

Bittle was elected as a first time Member of Parliament in October 2015. He received 24,870 votes and defeated incumbent Rick Dykstra.

In September 2017, Bittle was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, the youngest Member of Parliament to hold that position.[13] In December 2019, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, where he worked alongside Minister Marc Garneau and Minister Omar Alghabra to invest in public transit and particularly on safe travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

In March 2021, Bittle was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson.[15] Bittle is also a member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.[16]

Bittle was re-elected as an Member of Parliament in the 2021 Canadian federal election.[17]

Investments in Niagara

Bittle has, on several occasions since being elected Member of Parliament, made announcements in Niagara highlighting the federal government's investments in St. Catharines and surrounding areas.

In March 2017, Bittle and Vance Badawey announced the federal government was investing in public transit in Niagara. In 2018, the federal government followed up on that announcement when Bittle announced an $82 million investment in Niagara's transit systems.[18] During his first session in parliament Chris also made several project specific funding announcements, including $180,000 for Centennial Gardens,[19] $2 million for a Skills Link program at Goodwill Industries,[20] and $100,000 in funding for two local wineries who expanded their services and increase employment opportunities.

In February 2020, Bittle announced $2 million in joint funding with the Province of Ontario to support innovation and investment in the winery and grape growing industries.[21] In June 2020, he also announced $16 million in federal funding for improvements to St. Catharines Public Transit System to improve the downtown bus terminal, add more busses, and improve bus shelters and new para-transit vehicles.[22] In addition, he participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games after the federal government provided more than $40 million to ensure a lasting legacy for the games.[23]

Electoral record
2019 Canadian federal election: St. Catharines
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalChris Bittle24,18340.23-2.95$87,246.25
ConservativeKrystina Waler18,97831.57-6.00$114,133.28
New DemocraticDennis Van Meer12,43120.68+4.16none listed
GreenTravis Mason3,6956.15+3.56$5,554.85
People'sAllan deRoo8261.37none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 60,11399.17
Total rejected ballots 5060.83+0.41
Turnout 60,61966.46-1.28
Eligible voters 91,215
Liberal hold Swing +1.52
Source: Elections Canada[24][25]
2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalChris Bittle24,87043.2+22.6–
ConservativeRick Dykstra21,63737.6-13.3–
New DemocraticSusan Erskine-Fournier9,51116.5-7.3–
GreenJim Fannon1,4882.6-1.2–
CommunistSaleh Waziruddin850.1-0.1–
Total valid votes/Expense limit 57,591100.0 $221,576.61
Total rejected ballots 243––
Turnout 57,834––
Eligible voters 84,474
Source: Elections Canada[26][27][28]

References
  1. "Biography". Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  2. "Elections Canada - Election results since 2015: St. Catharines, Ontario". Elections Canada. Retrieved May 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "ST. CATHARINES' MP APPOINTED TO NEW ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ROLE". iHeartRadio. March 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  4. "OurCommons - Members of Parliament: Chris Bittle". May 11, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019.
  5. "OurCommons - Chris Bittle: Roles, Current and Past". OurCommons.ca. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. "Bittle Named Parliamentary Secretary to Transportation Minister". iHeartRadio. December 12, 2019. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021.
  7. "Home". Spchs.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  8. "Biography - Chris Bittle - Your member of parliament for St. Catharines". Cbittle.liberal.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  9. Cheevers, Melinda (October 20, 2015). "'We did it, eh'". Niagarathisweek.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  10. "History - Lancaster Brooks & Welch LLP". Lbwlawyers.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  11. "QUEST COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE - Annual Report 2014-2015" (PDF). Quest Community Health Care. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  12. "Government Members key contacts - Research Canada". Rc-rc.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  13. "Chris Bittle appointed deputy government house leader". NiagaraThisWeek.com. September 19, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  14. "ST. CATHARINES' MP APPOINTED TO NEW ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ROLE". iHeartRadio. March 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  15. "Bittle appointed to environment role". The St. Catharines Standard. March 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  16. "Our Commons - Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development: WORK". OurCommons.ca. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  17. Edwards, Luke; Green, Abby. "Liberal Chris Bittle re-elected in tight St. Catharines race". St. Catharines Standard. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  18. "Ottawa to invest $1.9B in GO Transit's regional express rail project - The Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  19. Omand, Geordon (February 27, 2018). "From birds to belugas, feds boost conservation funding in budget". Ctvnews.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  20. "Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  21. "Wine Growers Ontario Thanks Federal Government for Funds For Federal Winery Support Program in Budget 2021". NewsWire. April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  22. Benner, Allan (June 25, 2020). "Niagara Transit Systems Get 78 Million Funding Boost to Pay for 31 Projects". The St. Catharines Standard. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  23. "Canada Games Park official Breaks Ground". Niagara 2022 Games. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  24. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  25. "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  26. "Voter Information Service - Who are the candidates in my electoral district?". Elections.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  27. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  28. "Election Night Results - Elections Canada". p. Ontario, St. Catharines. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
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