# John Aldag

John W. Aldag (born April 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Cloverdale—Langley City in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal MP from 2015 to 2019 and 2021 to 2024.
He was first elected in the 2015 federal election, and served until his defeat in the 2019 Canadian federal election. In the 2021 federal election he won his seat back over incumbent Conservative Tamara Jansen.
Aldag announced he would resign his seat effective May 27, 2024, to seek the BC New Democratic Party nomination in Langley-Abbotsford in the 2024 British Columbia election. He resigned his seat May 31, 2024 and was officially nominated as the NDP candidate in Langley-Abbotsford on July 20, 2024, but lost to BC Conservatives candidate Harman Bhangu in the 2024 British Columbia general election.

## Early life and career

Aldag was born in rural Saskatchewan. He earned an MBA from Royal Roads University and had a 32-year career with Parks Canada, including postings in Whitehorse, Lake Louise, Yoho, Waterloo and Langley, where he was the administrator of Fort Langley National Historic Site before his entry into politics. Aldag took an unpaid leave from Parks Canada in December 2013 to begin campaigning for election to office, which he ultimately won with nearly 46% of the vote. He resigned his position upon being confirmed as the elected candidate by Elections Canada on October 26, 2015.
Aldag and his wife, Elaine St. John, a doctor, have two daughters and one son, and had lived in Langley for a decade at the time of his election to the House of Commons.

## Politics

Aldag was elected in the 2015 election as a Member of Parliament for Cloverdale—Langley City. In the 42nd Canadian Parliament, he was appointed to two parliamentary committees; the Environment and Sustainable Development committee and the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, an issue in which he consulted extensively with his constituents. The issue of Physician-Assisted Dying touched him, causing him to be a proponent of families having conversations about their wishes in these situations. He was later named as well to the House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform. Aldag introduced Private Member's Bill C-374 which, if adopted, would provide a seat on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada for First Nations, Inuit and Métis representation. The federal by-election to replace him was scheduled for December 16, 2024 and was won by Jansen.

## Electoral record

2024 British Columbia general election: Langley-Abbotsford (provincial electoral district) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Harman Bhangu | 14,045 | 55.8% | +48.2 |
| | New Democratic | John Aldag | 8,436 | 33.5% | -1.7 |
| | Green | Melissa Snazell | 1,394 | 5.5% | -6.0 |
| | Independent | Karen Long | 1,081 | 4.3% | |
| | Libertarian | Alex Joehl | 192 | 0.8% | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 25,767 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte2021 Canadian federal election: Cloverdale—Langley City :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Aldag | 20,877 | 39.21 | +3.99 | $111,123.12 |
| | Conservative | Tamara Jansen | 19,223 | 36.10 | -1.63 | $85,561.60 |
| | New Democratic | Rajesh Jayaprakash | 10,587 | 19.88 | +0.94 | $13,177.92 |
| | People's | Ian Kennedy | 2,563 | 4.81 | +3.14 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | 53,250 | 99.06 | – | $116,950.48 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 508 | 0.94 | +0.20 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,758 | 60.85 | -3.70 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 88,348 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +2.81 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Cloverdale—Langley City :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Tamara Jansen | 20,936 | 37.73 | +2.96 | $70,620.42 |
| | Liberal | John Aldag | 19,542 | 35.22 | -10.31 | $105,884.21 |
| | New Democratic | Rae Banwarie | 10,508 | 18.94 | +3.29 | $15,133 |
| | Green | Caelum Nutbrown | 3,572 | 6.44 | +2.38 | none listed |
| | People's | Ian Kennedy | 930 | 1.68 | - | $464 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,488 | 99.26 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 415 | 0.74 | +0.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,903 | 64.55 | -4.85 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 86,610 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +6.63 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2015 Canadian federal election: Cloverdale—Langley City :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Aldag | 24,617 | 45.52 | +33.72 | $48,139.65 |
| | Conservative | Dean Drysdale | 18,800 | 34.77 | -22.60 | $164,422.49 |
| | New Democratic | Rebecca Smith | 8,463 | 15.65 | -9.02 | $12,325.60 |
| | Green | Scott Anderson | 2,195 | 4.06 | -0.56 | $5,846.04 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 54,075 | 99.66 | | $209,882.99 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 186 | 0.34 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,261 | 69.40 | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 78,189 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +28.16 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||