Sam Oosterhoff

The Honourable
Sam Oosterhoff
MPP
Oosterhoff in 2017
Associate Minister of Energy Intensive-Industries
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 6, 2024
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byRiding established
ConstituencyNiagara West
In office
November 17, 2016 – May 9, 2018
Preceded byTim Hudak
Succeeded byRiding dissolved
ConstituencyNiagara West—Glanbrook
Personal details
Born (1997-08-22) August 22, 1997 (age 27)[1]
Vineland, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Spouse
Keri Nicole Ludwig
​
​
(m. 2019)​
Children1
Residence(s)Vineland, Ontario, Canada
EducationBrock University (currently enrolled)
Websitesamoosterhoffmpp.ca

Samuel Earl Oosterhoff[2] (/ɒstɛrhɒff/OSTERHOFF born August 22, 1997) is a Canadian politician. Oosterhoff is currently the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Niagara West and currently the Associate Minister of Energy and intensive Industries. Oosterhoff is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and was first elected at the age of 19 in a November 2016 byelection, the youngest Ontario MPP to ever be elected.[3] The previous record was held by Reid Scott who was elected as a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MPP in 1948 at the age of 21.[4]

Early life and career

Oosterhoff was born and raised in Vineland, Ontario,[5] where he lived with his parents at the time of the byelection.[6] He is a member of the Canadian Reformed Church.[7]

Before being nominated, Oosterhoff had briefly worked as legislative assistant and policy analyst on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.[5] At the time of his election, he was in the middle of his first year studying political science at Brock University,[6] which he entered after being homeschooled.[3] After his election, he planned to resume his studies in January 2017 with night classes and summer school.[8]

Politics

In October 2016, Oosterhoff was nominated as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Niagara West—Glanbrook to replace Tim Hudak, who resigned his seat that September.[9] Former MP and current president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Rick Dykstra was the favoured candidate by both the party establishment and PC leader Patrick Brown, but Oosterhoff had more local support, including that of his church.[6][10][11]

Social conservatives such as Charles McVety accused Brown of muzzling Oosterhoff during the campaign because of the candidate's opposition to the new sexual education curriculum.[12] On November 17, 2016, Oosterhoff defeated New Democratic challenger Mike Thomas by 9,528 votes.[6]

He was sworn in as an MPP on November 30, one day after Nathalie Des Rosiers, who also won a byelection on November 17, was sworn in. Critics said the delay was to keep Oosterhoff out of the legislature for a vote on Bill 28 which was unanimously passed on November 29. Bill 28 made it easier for same-sex couples to become legal parents, and Oosterhoff had previously voiced objections to the bill saying he "definitely would not have supported it" and that it was "disrespectful to mothers and fathers".[13] Brown said the delay was so that Oosterhoff could organize a celebration party for his family and supporters.[13][14]

Oosterhoff is a social conservative,[3][6][10] and believes that abortion and same-sex marriage should be illegal.[15] However, in 2016 he stated that he is “absolutely not” a homophobe.[13]

On March 7, 2017, Oosterhoff defeated PC vice-president and Niagara Regional Councillor Tony Quirk for the PC nomination for the next provincial election in the new constituency of Niagara West, which replaced Niagara West—Glanbrook as a result of federal redistribution.[16][17]

Oosterhoff picked up 24,361 (52.74%) of the vote in the 2018 Ontario general election, defeating NDP candidate Curtis Fric.[18] On June 29, 2018, Oosterhoff was appointed to the role of Parliamentary Assistant to Lisa Thompson, the Minister of Education.[19] Oosterhoff was widely criticized on April 20, 2018, for his televised rendition of African-American spiritual 'Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen' given his socially conservative views and trouble-free middle class upbringing.[20]

On October 31, 2018, Halloween, Oosterhoff celebrated the passing of the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act with a rendition of "Monster Mash" at Queen's Park.[21]

In May 2019, Oosterhoff participated in an anti-abortion rally at Queen's Park hosted by March for Life, where he made a stage appearance. During his speech at the rally, he said that "We have survived 50 years of abortion in Canada and we pledge to fight to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime."[22]

In October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Oosterhoff took group photos with about forty people in a banquet hall, none of whom were wearing masks or social distancing, which was contrary to provincial public health measures. Oosterhoff deleted the photos and apologized, saying that he should have worn a mask and that except for the photograph, the group had otherwise distanced.[23]

On June 6, 2024, Oosterhoff took office as the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.[24]

Personal life

In 2019, Oosterhoff married Keri Nicole (née Ludwig).[25] They have one son;

Electoral results

2022 Ontario general election: Niagara West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Sam Oosterhoff 18,779 44.93 −7.88
New Democratic Dave Augustyn 8,658 20.71 −9.09
Liberal Doug Joyner 8,013 19.17 +8.65
Green Laura Garner 2,702 6.46 +0.86
Ontario Party Dan Dale 2,207 5.28  
New Blue Chris Arnew 1,098 2.63  
Libertarian Stefanos Karatopis 259 0.62 −0.36
Populist Jim Torma 80 0.19  
Total valid votes 41,796 100.0  
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 251
Turnout 42,047 53.16
Eligible voters 78,138
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +0.61
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.
2018 Ontario general election: Niagara West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Sam Oosterhoff 24,361 52.74%
New Democratic Curtis Fric 13,744 29.75%
Liberal Joe Kanee 4,933 10.68%
Green Jessica Tillmanns 2,578 5.58%
Libertarian Stefanos Karatopis 451 0.98%
Multicultural Geoffrey E. Barton 127 0.27%
Total valid votes 46,194 100.0  
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 0 0%
Turnout 46,194 64.10%
Eligible voters 72,067
Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[18]


Ontario provincial by-election, November 17, 2016: Niagara West—Glanbrook
Resignation of Tim Hudak
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Sam Oosterhoff 17,652 53.95 +12.18
New Democratic Mike Thomas 8,159 24.94 +2.63
Liberal Vicky Ringuette 4,997 15.27 -13.05
Green Donna Cridland 892 2.73 -2.64
Libertarian Stefanos Karatopis 355 1.09 -0.65
None of the Above Greg Vezina 343 1.05
Independent Martin Poos 200 0.61
Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda Queenie Yu 76 0.23
Canadian Constituents' Arthur Smitherman 44 0.13
Total valid votes 32,718
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 182 0.56
Turnout 32,900 32.23
Eligible voters 102,076
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +4.78

References

  1. ^ Allison Jones [@allisonjones_cp] (August 23, 2017). "Sam, it was your birthday yesterday? Officially no longer a teen Tory??" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ @ONPARLeducation (13 July 2022). "Within the halls of the Legislature are walls that contain the names of every Member of Provincial Parliament elected to Ontario's Legislature since 1867. The names for the 42nd Parliament were recently added. For the first time a Member's name was inscribed in Oji-Cree syllabics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c Leslie, Keith (November 17, 2016). "Ontario byelection results: PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff, 19, becomes youngest ever elected to legislature". National Post. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Paikin, Steve (November 18, 2016). "Two byelections offer little clarity for provincial parties". TVO. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Edwards, Luke (September 14, 2016). "Oosterhoff joins race to replace Hudak". www.niagarathisweek.com. Grimsby Lincoln News. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (November 17, 2016). "Young Tory wins Niagara as Liberals hold Ottawa-area riding". Toronto Star.
  7. ^ Ferguson, Rob (12 November 2016). "Tories pinning hopes on 19-year-old to take Niagara byelection". Toronto Star. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  8. ^ Blizzard, Christina (November 11, 2016). "19-year-old PC candidate has caused ripples". Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  9. ^ "19-year-old Sam Oosterhoff wins PC nomination for Niagara West-Glanbrook". CBC News. The Canadian Press. October 23, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Ferguson, Rob (November 15, 2016). "Tory teen fights to overcome age gap". Hamilton Spectator. Metroland Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  11. ^ LaFleche, Grant (October 23, 2016). "A 19-year-old social conservative beat Tory heavyweights to run as PC candidate in Ontario by-election". National Post. Postmedia News. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Leslie, Keith (November 1, 2016). "Social conservatives accuse Patrick Brown of 'muzzling' new candidate on sex-ed". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c Ballingall, Alex (November 30, 2016). "Sam Oosterhoff sworn in as youngest MPP, says he's 'absolutely not' a homophobe". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Rushowy, Kristin (November 28, 2016). "Sam Oosterhoff's swearing in is delayed". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  15. ^ Fisher, Robert (October 28, 2016). "The teen candidate that spells trouble for PC leader Patrick Brown". CBC News.
  16. ^ "Teen Tory MPP Sam Oosterhoff is being challenged for his Niagara seat". Toronto Star. 6 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Oosterhoff beats Quirk". Pelham Today. March 7, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  19. ^ Rosts, Scott (June 29, 2018). "Oosterhoff named parliamentary assistant to minister of education". Niagara This Week. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "20-Year-Old Ontario MPP Sang 'Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen' on TV". 20 April 2018.
  21. ^ Paling, Emma (31 October 2018). "Sam Oosterhoff Sings 'Monster Mash' To Celebrate Killing Environmental Law". huffingtonpost.ca.
  22. ^ Clementson, Laura (May 9, 2019). "'We pledge to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime': PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff". CBC News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  23. ^ Rankin, Christine (October 28, 2020). "Niagara MPP Sam Oosterhoff faces backlash over packed group photo with no masks". CBC News. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  24. ^ "Hon. Sam Oosterhoff | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Sam Oosterhoff: Homeschool Grad & Canadian MPP". Homeschooling Teen. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  26. ^ Média, Bell. "Ontario's youngest MPP to ever be elected has become a father during pandemic". www.iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 2023-02-20.