PC MPP Chris Scott attends Question Period at Queen's Park in Toronto in May.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has removed MPP Chris Scott from the Progressive Conservative caucus after he was charged with assault in what court documents describe as an alleged case of intimate partner violence.
Mr. Scott, a first-term MPP who represents Sault Ste. Marie in the legislature, is no longer a member of the PC caucus, spokesperson Grace Lee said Monday. He was also the parliamentary assistant to Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce. Mr. Scott now sits as an independent.
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Scott, who also goes by Chris Van Scott, was arrested on Sunday in Toronto after an investigation by detectives with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, according to a statement from Sault Ste. Marie police.
The police service said it would not release further details of the alleged incident or the charges to protect the victim’s privacy.
Toronto Police spokeswoman Cindy Chung confirmed on Monday that Mr. Scott was arrested on an out-of-town arrest warrant. She said the matter is a Sault Ste. Marie investigation and Toronto police will not be commenting further.
According to a charge sheet from the Sault Ste. Marie criminal court, Mr. Scott faces one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault. The alleged victim is his spouse, according to the court documents.
The alleged incident occurred in Sault Ste. Marie on Sept. 19. According to the court documents, the weapon used was a high chair.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
Mr. Scott was released Monday on bail under a series of conditions, including not to have any contact, either indirectly or directly, with his spouse, except by family court order, through legal counsel or through his mother.
The charge sheet also says Mr. Scott cannot be within 100 metres of his spouse’s home or workplace, with the exception of a family court order, in the presence of legal counsel or if he is attending a hospital for medical emergencies involving his children.
He is to reside at a downtown Toronto condominium or a home in Sault Ste. Marie as long as the complainant is not there. He is prohibited from possessing any weapons, including firearms.
Toronto defence lawyer Michael Lacy, who appeared in court Monday on Mr. Scott’s matter, declined to comment.
Asked by reporters on Monday why Mr. Scott was removed from caucus, Mr. Ford said: “You can ask Chris Scott the reason why.”
“I was informed literally in the parking lot as we were going through here,” Mr. Ford said at an announcement in Russell, Ont. “Go to the Sault Ste. Marie police. I don’t want to interfere in a police investigation.”
The Ontario NDP called for Mr. Scott’s immediate resignation.
Liberal MPP John Fraser said the accusations are extremely serious but said the court process should be allowed to play out. If convicted and handed a sentence of more than two years, Mr. Scott would be removed from the legislature by law, Mr. Fraser said. But he added that Mr. Scott should also step down even if he is convicted and receives a sentence of less than two years.
“I would think it would be the right thing to do to step aside,” he said.
Mr. Scott was elected in the Feb. 27 provincial election. According to local media reports, Mr. Scott was hand-picked by Mr. Ford for the PC nomination and worked with former MPP Ross Romano. According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr. Scott previously worked as a chief of staff in the Ontario government and as a special adviser to Mr. Ford’s chief of staff in the Premier’s Office from April 2023 until January of this year.
Mr. Scott won the Sault Ste. Marie riding by less than 120 votes to his closest challenger, NDP’s Lisa Vezeau-Allen.