Federal election called for April 28 – Four candidates so far in SDG

SDG – For the second time so far this year, voters will go to the polls. This time, it is for the federal election set for April 28.

Riding a wave of recent favourable poll results, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked for Governor General Mary Simon to call the general election. Under Canada’s fixed election date law, the vote had been scheduled for October 24.

So far, four candidates in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry riding are nominated. Incumbent Member of Parliament Eric Duncan will continue to carry the Conservative Party flag in the riding. He was first elected in October 2019 after the retirement of Guy Lauzon.

Cornwall city councillor Sarah Good is representing the Liberal Party of Canada. She was approved as her party’s nominee earlier in March.

Former NDP candidate and labour advocate Mario Leclerc is the NDP’s pick for MP in SDG. Leclerc previously ran for the party in 2011, finishing third.

The People’s Party of Canada announced on March 13 that Cameron Tuck will represent the party in SDG.

Local Green Party of Canada official Murray Campeau confirmed to The Leader that they have identified a candidate to represent that party in SDG. Campeau said the party will announce their candidate, “Once the candidate nomination process has been completed.”

Parties have until April 7 at 2 p.m. to nominate their candidates.

In 2021, five candidates ran in Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry.

Neighbouring Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands-Rideau Lakes has three confirmed candidates so far. Incumbent MP Michael Barrett is running again for the Conservatives. Fresh off the provincial election in February, Liberal Lorna Jean Edmonds announced she would run for the federal Liberal nomination. The PPC candidate for the riding is Hailey Simpson – who serves as the party’s youth wing president.

At the time of dissolution, the federal Liberals held 152 seats in the House of Commons; Federal Conservatives held 120 seats, while the federal NDP held 24 seats. The Bloc Québécois had 33 seats at dissolution, while the Green Party of Canada held two seats, and three seats were held by independents. There were four vacant seats at the time parliament was dissolved.

The April election will see seven new seats added, increasing the overall seat count in the House of Commons to 343 seats. Locally, this riding was one of over 20 affected by boundary changes. The geographic region of North Glengarry was added to Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry to expand the riding to encompass the entirety of SDG Counties, Cornwall, and the Ontario geographic area of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.

Advance polling days for voters are over the Easter weekend (April 18-21). Voters can also visit the riding’s returning office in Cornwall to vote in-person until April 22 at 6 p.m. Mail in ballots can be requested by April 22 via the Elections Canada website (elections.ca) and must be placed in the mail by April 28.