Robert Batherson (born November 3, 1975) is a Canadian politician and public affairs executive past president of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

. Before becoming national president, Batherson was a two-term National Councillor from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Personal life

Batherson was born in

Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...

. He moved to Riverview,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and then later to Lower Sackville,

. He was educated at

Sackville High School Sackville High School is a Canadian public high school located in Lower Sackville, a suburban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is operated by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE). Sackville Hi ...

. Batherson earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Public Relations at

Mount Saint Vincent University Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate Arts, Science, Edu ...

in 1997. He has worked as a marketing executive in various sectors as well as a staffer on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

prior to his current role. Batherson is married and has one son. He is proficient in French and he is the first Conservative Party of Canada President from

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

Politics

Batherson began working in communications and research for the

Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, more commonly known as the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, is a political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been histor ...

Caucus Office and later worked as a political staffer for

Peter MacKay Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965), a Canadian lawyer and politician, served as Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and as Minister of Justice (Canada), Minister of Justice and Attorney General (20 ...

. In the

1998 Nova Scotia general election The 1998 Nova Scotia general election was held on March 24, 1998, to elect members of the 57th House of Assembly of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Liberal party and the New Democratic Party tied in the seat count, with 19 each, while ...

, Batherson ran as a Progressive Conservative party candidate in the riding of

Sackville-Cobequid Sackville—Cobequid is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The riding was created in 1978 when the former district of Halifax Cobequid was redistributed. In 1993 ...

. Following the

1999 Nova Scotia general election The 1999 Nova Scotia general election was held on July 27, 1999, to elect members of the 58th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The government was defeated on a money bill on June 18, and the Nova Scotia House of Assembly ...

he worked as Premier

John Hamm John Frederick Hamm (born April 8, 1938) is a Canadian physician and politician, who served as the 25th premier of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2006. Education Hamm, a graduate of the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, was a ...

's Press Secretary and later as his Communications Director. Batherson served in the role of President of the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia between 2009 and 2012. Batherson then ran again in

2017 Nova Scotia general election The 2017 Nova Scotia general election was held on May 30, 2017, to elect members to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Liberals under Premier Stephen McNeil won re-election with a reduced majority, falling from 34 ...

in the riding of Halifax Citadel-Sable Island. In 2016, Batherson was first elected to the Conservative Party of Canada's National Council as a councillor from Nova Scotia. In March 2021, he was elected as the president of the Conservative Party of Canada, taking over from Scott Lamb. Batherson announced that he will run as the Conservative Party candidate for

Halifax West Halifax West () is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2023 r ...

in the 45th Canadian Federal Election.

Professional career

Batherson works as a communications and public affairs advisor. He has served as the chair of the

Halifax Chamber of Commerce Halifax Chamber of Commerce, also known as the Halifax Chamber, is the oldest chamber of commerce in North America. It was founded in 1750. History Established in 1750, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce was formed by Halifax's early merchants. Mer ...

and the Neptune Theatre Foundation. Batherson has also served as a member of the

Halifax Stanfield International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime p ...

's board of directors.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batherson, Robert 1975 births Living people Candidates in Nova Scotia provincial elections Conservative Party of Canada politicians People from Sydney, Nova Scotia Mount Saint Vincent University alumni Conservative Party of Canada candidates in the 2025 Canadian federal election