# Matthew Rae

Matthew Rae MPP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of Perth—Wellington as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He currently serves as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

## Background

Rae grew up in Harriston, Ontario, and was raised on his family’s dairy farm. After graduating from the Norwell District Secondary School, Rae attended the University of Guelph to study Political Science and International Development.
Rae graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Political Science and International Development before attending the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna to pursue a degree in Masters of Advanced International Studies. While in Vienna, Rae worked as an intern for the Embassy of the Republic of Malta as an assistant for the Maltese ambassador.

## Politics

After graduation, Rae accepted a job as a Communications Manager for John Nater, Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington. He also worked for former Member of Provincial Parliament, Randy Pettapiece as his Executive Assistant. Prior to seeking office, Rae worked for Shad Canada as their Director of University Relations.
On November 18, 2021, Rae announced he would seek the Progressive-Conservative nomination for Perth-Wellington after Randy Pettapiece announced he would not seek re-election. Rae would win the Progressive Conservative nomination for the riding of Perth-Wellington on March 5, 2022. Rae placed first in the June 2, 2022, local provincial election, with 46.8% of the vote.
Shortly after being elected, Rae would be appointed as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce. Rae was also elected Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs as well as also serving on the Standing Committee on Social Policy. Rae currently serves on the Standing Committee of Heritage, Infrastructure, and Cultural Policy.
On March 10, 2023, Rae became the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
On October 18, 2023, Rae introduced his first motion, Motion 63. The motion called upon the Ontario Government to continue to build out its clean, green nuclear fleet. Motion 63 passed on division on October 19, 2023. Rae also introduced his second motion on October 31, 2023, Motion 71. The motion calls on the Government of Canada to eliminate the carbon tax on natural gas and propane used for agricultural purposes. Motion 71 is still to be debate in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
In October 2023, Rae introduced his first Private Members’ Public Bill, the Life Leases Act, 2024. Bill 141 aims to improve the transparency, and accountability for occupants in Life Lease Communities.
In April 2024, Rae introduced his second Private Members' Public Bill, the Growing Agritourism Act. Bill 186 is the first legislation in Canada that aims to mitigate risks involved with agritourism operations on farms across Ontario by mandating the display of inherent risks associated with farms.

## Electoral history

vte2025 Ontario general election: Perth—Wellington :
| The 2025 general election will be held on February 27. |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | Matthew Rae | | | |
| | New Democratic | Jason Davis | | | |
| | Green | Ian Morton | | | |
| | New Blue | James Montgomery | | | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
vte2022 Ontario general election: Perth—Wellington :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | Matthew Rae | 19,468 | 46.80 | −3.87 | $78,758 |
| | New Democratic | Jo-Dee Burbach | 9,170 | 22.04 | −8.66 | $56,081 |
| | Liberal | Ashley Fox | 6,708 | 16.13 | +5.32 | $30,153 |
| | Green | Laura Bisutti | 2,627 | 6.32 | +0.45 | $426 |
| | New Blue | Bob Hosken | 2,457 | 5.91 | | $7,326 |
| | Ontario Party | Sandy William MacGregor | 985 | 2.37 | | $846 |
| | Freedom | Robby Smink | 182 | 0.44 | +0.17 | $0 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 41,597 | 99.45 | +0.87 | $117,096 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 229 | 0.55 | -0.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,826 | 50.09 | -10.26 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 83,638 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +2.40 |
| Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18."Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. |||||||