Allison holds a degree in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University. Upon graduation, Allison established himself in the Niagara area through accumulating businesses and working for a major franchise organization. Outside of his capacities as a Member of Parliament, Allison also owns a Private Equity Firm that assists in small business and startups.
Allison has served as President of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation, as President of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, a Director of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and board member of Junior Achievement in Niagara. Allison is also a founding member of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in Canada and the Belarus’ Children of Chernobyl program that brings children affected by the Chernobyl disaster to Canada.
Since taking office, Allison has served on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, International Trade and as Past Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Skills Development and Status of Persons with Disabilities and has also served on the Advisory Panel on the Funding of Officers of Parliament. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Ontario Conservative Caucus and been on the executive of the Intraparliamentary Union Association and the Commonwealth Association.
Presently, Allison serves as Chair of both the House of Commons Liaison Committee, and Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Allison is also a Director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly.
Allison has tabled a number of different legislative initiatives in Parliament including a bill aimed at removing the faint hope clause from the Criminal Code, and motions to entrench property rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to raise awareness of Anaphylaxis.
Allison was one of thirteen Canadians banned from traveling to Russia under retaliatory sanctions imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2014.
Allison first ran for federal politics as the Canadian Alliance candidate in the Erie-Lincoln riding in 2000. Allison received 37.1% of the vote but was defeated by Liberal candidate John Maloney who received 42.2% of the votes.
Allison ran, and was elected, in the 2004 election as the Conservative candidate for Niagara West-Glanbrook. Allison has won the subsequent federal elections for Niagara West-Glanbrook.
In 2015, as a result of riding redistribution, the name was changed to Niagara West. The riding now consists of Grimsby, Lincoln, West Lincoln, Wainfleet, Pelham and a portion of west St. Catharines. Allison once again won his fifth consecutive election and returned to the House of Commons as the MP for Niagara West. He was subsequently named as the Conservative Deputy Critic for International Development.
Source: Elections Canada