He was knighted in 1911[1] and created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours.
In the same year he started business for himself, founding R A Lister and Company to produce agricultural machinery.
He was a pioneer of business in Western Canada by taking the first cream separator in that region over the plains of Alberta.
In 1900 he had many interviews with Dominion Ministers including Wilfrid Laurier and was asked to give evidence before the Tariff Revising Committee.
Lady Frances Lister died in September 1911 and Sir Ashton was survived by three sons.