Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt riding profile

Playing null of undefined

Nickel Belt candidates face off in chamber panel

Candidates aim to represent expanded Nickel Belt

Interview with federal NDP candidate Andreane Chenier

Interview with Green party candidate Himal Hossain

Interview with federal Liberal incumbent Marc Serre

Boundary changes affect northern Ont. riding

With a population of 99,827, the riding of Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt spans more than 32,000 kilometres and, according to Elections Canada, has an average voter turnout of 62 per cent.

There will be six names on the ballot for the April 28 election, including incumbent Nickel Belt MP Marc Serre for the Liberals. Serre said his experience in the last decade makes him the best person to represent the area.

“For me, bringing people together, trying to make sure that we address some of the crises and some of the issues priorities,” he said.

“Locally, municipal is really important. So for me, it’s continuing the work I’m doing. I still love my job. And I still have people to chat with and talk to. But the important part here is how do we reassure -- how do we bring people together?”

NDP candidate Andreane Chenier said her experience representing and advocating for people her whole adult career makes her right for the job.

“I’m a health and safety specialist now, and I’m also an elected school board trustee,” Chenier said.

“I’m a director on boards of several organizations. So I understand governance. And I also understand what it means to take other people’s concerns and other people’s problems and then actually advocate with the system to either change the system or, in fact, to uphold their rights. I do this now.”

“So, the nice thing about it would be instead of being doing it for, the entire province of Ontario, I would be doing it, for my neighbours,” Chenier added.

Green candidate Himal Hossain said he is the best person to represent the area because he understands what people are going through each day.

“We see youth unemployment being one of the (highest rates) in decades when we see housing crisis, where I see the vast majority of Canadians or young Canadians said that they can never get to their first home,” Hossain said.

“When we talk about, you know, the lack of infrastructure within our roads compared to even southern Ontario, you know, these are the issues that people wonder about each and every day. I work two jobs, 40-50 hours a week at a time, barely getting by. So I understand.”

We also asked candidates what they view as the most pressing issue affecting voters in the riding is and how will they address it.

Serre said the main concern he is hearing is affordability. “Affordable housing has come up several times,” he said.

“The question also of the tariffs and Donald Trump and the anxiety that people have about becoming the 51st state. So that’s an element that I’m trying to reassure people that, no, we got this. This is not going to happen. And then affordability. So those are kind of the things that I’m hearing a lot.”

Concerns about the economy

Chenier said what people are really concerned about is the economy as well as health care.

“We believe in using tax dollars to benefit communities … So we’re going to end those big corporate subsidies and then instead redirect … those funds towards building infrastructure," she said.

“Things like building hospitals in those communities, things like recruiting physicians, like bringing in skilled labour from immigration because we also want to deal with the immigration problem, which is creating huge backlogs. And we really want to take a stab at preventing price gouging on essentials so that folks, at the very least, have what they need (and) live the life that they want.”

Hossain said the most pressing issue in the riding is the lack of leadership over the last decade.

“For too long, we’ve had the same old type of leaders,” he said.

“Not (a leader who has) the sense of, OK, I’m willing to put my feet on the ground and say, hey, how can I help this riding be the very best.”

CTV News made several attempts to contact Conservative candidate Jim Belanger but did not receive a response.

Rounding out the ballot in the riding is Justin Leroux for the Libertarians and Sharilynne St. Louis for the People’s Party of Canada.

Traditionally, Nickel Belt, Sudbury and even the previous Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing riding have flipped between the Liberals and New Democrats.

In two weeks, voters will decide what party will represent Sudbury East- Manitoulin-Nickel Belt for the first time since redistribution.