Leona Alleslev

Leona Alleslev (born March 16, 1968) is a Canadian politician who was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament to represent the riding of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election. Alleslev was elected as a Liberal but, on September 17, 2018, she crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party, citing alleged disagreements with the Liberal government over their handling of the economy and foreign affairs. On October 21, 2019, she was re-elected as a Conservative. Following the 2019 Canadian federal election, Alleslev was appointed as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Member of Parliament
From December 2, 2015 to January 27, 2017, Leona Alleslev served as the former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Alleslev currently is a member of the Standing Committee on National Defence and the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

During the General Meeting of the Parliamentary NATO Association on October 30, 2018, Alleslev was ousted from her role as Chair and replaced with Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj. The Conservatives attempted to delay the vote by having their staffers break into a rendition of Stan Rogers' Barrett's Privateers while pouring and passing around a bottle of unknown liquid, later confirmed to be alcohol by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. Conservatives were criticized as the meeting room was not hosting a reception or party; it was hosting a parliamentary association meeting, making the consumption of alcohol inappropriate.

On November 29, 2019, Andrew Scheer appointed Alleslev as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Military service and work experience
The eldest daughter of RCAF Major-General Ian Alleslev, Leona Alleslev graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1991, and served as a logistics officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, retiring with the rank of captain. Alleslev also worked as a senior manager in the aerospace industry and the Department of National Defence.