Chad Collins (politician)

Chad Collins is a Canadian politician who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 federal election. He represented Hamilton East—Stoney Creek as a member of the Liberal Party.

Prior to being elected, Collins was a Hamilton, Ontario City Councillor. He was born and raised in Hamilton and attended Glendale Secondary School. He is married and has two children. He is the son of former Ontario provincial MPP Shirley Collins.

Chad Collins was first elected to Hamilton City Council in 1995 and served on council until 2021, when he became the Member of Parliament for Hamilton East - Stoney Creek.

Political career

City Council

Chad Collins was a Hamilton City Councillor for more than 25 years. He was elected at age 24 to serve as the Ward 5 City Councillor.

For a period of time as a City Councillor, he was president of CityHousing Hamilton. During that time, he addressed the City's aging affordable housing stock and advocated for both provincial and federal funding to help increase Hamilton's supply of affordable housing.

His efforts included convincing fellow councillors to allocate area rating money to repair social housing units and donate a vacant parking lot to an affordable housing provider.

His other housing initiatives included the creation of a local Tenant Defence Fund to assist tenants with rising rents.

Federal politics

Chad Collins was elected as Member of Parliament for Hamilton East - Stoney Creek on September 20, 2021.

Among his committee duties, he was a member of the Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) for the entire term of the 44th Parliament.

The HUMA committee plays a crucial role in reviewing and studying legislation related to disability payments like the Canada Disability Benefit.

In November 2024, when the federal government proposed giving out $250 cheques to anyone who was employed and making less than $150,000, Collins said publicly that he would not vote in alignment with his party unless seniors and people with disabilities were included to receive the payment. He told the Toronto Star that he was threatened with consequences from the Liberal Party for his stance.

As a child, Collins lived in social housing for six years, which helped shaped his desire to find solutions for more affordable housing. Shortly after being elected Member of Parliament, Collins began chairing the Liberal National Housing Caucus. He was praised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his work in helping create recommendations that were the blueprint for Canada's Housing Plan, to make it easier to own or rent a home.

As Prime Minister Trudeau's popularity declined, Collins was one of the first Members of Parliament to go on record asking for the Prime Minister to resign. In October 2024, he signed a letter with 23 other MPs to formally request Trudeau step down.

Collins stated it was unlikely he would run again for re-election as MP if Trudeau stayed, but would do so if a new leader was chosen.

The boundaries for the Hamilton East - Stoney Creek federal constituency changed significantly from when Collins first ran in 2021 and when he ran for re-election in 2025. The riding lost the Rosedale and surrounding area to Hamilton Centre and gained Upper Stoney Creek and the Hannon area, which had previously been part of the Flamborough - Glanbrook riding, held by the Conservative Party since it was created in 2015.

Collins increased the votes he received from 18,358 votes in 2021 to 31,372 votes in 2025, but ultimately lost the seat by 2.21% to the Conservatives.

Election results

Candidates for the 22 October 2018 Hamilton, Ontario Ward 5 Councillor Election

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Chad
1970 births
Hamilton, Ontario city councillors
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
20th-century Canadian municipal councillors
21st-century Canadian municipal councillors