Ritz was born in Delisle, Saskatchewan, and prior to his political career, he worked as a farmer at the family farm for over 20 years and owned a contracting business company.

[4] Ritz made national news when, in response to the 2008 Canadian listeriosis outbreak he was quoted as saying, "This is like a death by a thousand cuts.

[7] Ritz announced on August 31, 2017, that he intended to resign from the House of Commons in the near future and leave politics to spend more time with family.

[8] On September 19, 2017, Ritz caused controversy when he tweeted a link to a news story stating no industrialized nations were on pace to meet Paris Agreement carbon emission targets with the comment "Has anyone told our climate Barbie!

[11] The next day Ritz's office issued a statement confirming his resignation from the House of Commons effective October 2, 2017.