with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was promoted Colonel and appointed the Area Surgeon for what is now LFCA (Land Force Central Area). Butson took the Arctic Winter Warfare course and qualified as a parachutist at age 55. He then established a Militia Airborne Surgical Team. Butson was President of the Defence Medical Association of Canada and represented Canada medically on the NATO Reserve Officer's Association (CIOR) for four years. For his services to the Canadian Forces, he was appointed Honorary Surgeon to Her Majesty the Queen in 1977 and was made an Officer of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) in 1982. Butson married Eileen Callon on 30 June 1967. They have two daughters, Sarah Louise and Caroline, and one son, Andrew Richard. Butson has been active with the St. John Ambulance for many years and was appointed Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John on 14 April 2009. He also received the Service Medal of the Order of St John for his long service with St John Ambulance. A mountaineer, Butson climbed extensively in the Canadian Rockies, Baffin Island, the Antarctic, the Alps and the Hindu Kush in the Western Himalaya. Butson Ridge in Antarctica (at Lat 68°05’ S, Long 66°51’ W) is named after him. In addition to the other medals mentioned above, Butson received the Defence Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 1992 (British and Canadian versions), and the Canadian Forces Decoration with Bar. He worked as a beef cattle farmer in Ancaster, Ontario. Politics In 2003 Butson entered provincial politics in Ontario. Standing on principle, he stood as the sole candidate of the leaderless Confederation of Regions Party during the 2003 Ontario General Election. He stood Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot, on a platform of individual freedom of responsibility, an affirmation of heritage, and a public referendum on bilingualism. He also opposed the forced amalgamation of Hamilton. As his party's sole candidate, Butson was interviewed by the CBC's Avril Benoit during the campaign. He received only 293 votes, finishing last in a field of six candidates. Considered the de facto leader of the party, he was elected party president the following year and remained so until 2010. The following year his wife was elected by the party membership as the president of the party, succeeding her husband for a one-year term. Private life Buston was married