Malpeque

The riding of Malpeque spans the rural heartland of Prince Edward Island, stretching the full width of the province from the North Shore to the South Shore. Covering approximately 1,663 square kilometres, it wraps around Charlottetown to the east and extends to the outskirts of Summerside to the west, taking in communities including Cornwall, Kensington, North Rustico, Borden-Carleton, Miltonvale Park, and Clyde River. The riding is named after Malpeque Bay, famous for its oysters.

Candidates

Wayne Easter (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 1993 and seeking his seventh consecutive term. A dairy, beef, and grain farmer from North Wiltshire, Easter graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1970 and went on to serve as president of the National Farmers Union for a decade before entering politics. He served as Solicitor General of Canada in the Chretien government from 2002 to 2003 and had also served as parliamentary secretary for fisheries and agriculture. Heading into 2011, Easter was one of the most experienced rural MPs in the Liberal caucus.

Tim Ogilvie (Conservative) — A veterinarian and former dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island. Ogilvie was a founding faculty member of the AVC when it opened in 1985, serving as chair of the Department of Health Management and co-director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital before becoming the college's fourth dean from 1999 to 2008. He was considered a high-profile challenger with strong institutional ties across the island.

Rita Jackson (NDP) — Jackson carried the NDP banner in Malpeque, part of the party's full slate of candidates on Prince Edward Island in 2011.

Peter Bevan-Baker (Green Party) — A dentist originally from Fortrose in the Scottish Highlands, Bevan-Baker had practised in central Queens County for more than two decades by the time of the 2011 campaign. A member of the Green Party of Canada since 1992, he had previously run as a Green candidate in both Ontario and PEI. The 2011 race was his second federal run in Malpeque, having also contested the riding in 2008.

About the Riding

Malpeque is predominantly agricultural, with potato farming, dairy operations, and mixed farming forming the backbone of the rural economy. The riding also benefits from the lobster and shellfish fisheries along both its north and south coasts, and Malpeque Bay itself remains one of PEI's most productive oyster-harvesting areas. Tourism plays a significant role, particularly along the North Shore, where Cavendish and the Prince Edward Island National Park draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer to the Anne of Green Gables attractions and beaches.

Cornwall, the riding's largest community and PEI's fourth-largest urban centre, functions largely as a bedroom community for Charlottetown, and the riding contains a substantial commuter population working in either of PEI's two cities. The Confederation Bridge terminal at Borden-Carleton provides the island's fixed link to New Brunswick, making the western end of the riding a gateway for freight and tourism traffic.

The riding's blend of agricultural producers, fishing families, and suburban commuters gave it a politically competitive character. Easter had held the seat through multiple close contests, and the Conservatives viewed Malpeque as one of their strongest pickup opportunities on the island.