Leeds—Grenville

Leeds—Grenville is a rural and small-city riding in eastern Ontario that follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from Prescott through Brockville to the Thousand Islands at Gananoque, extending northward through the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville to encompass communities such as Kemptville, Athens, and the lakeland areas around Rideau Lakes. The riding includes the separated municipalities of Brockville, Gananoque, and Prescott.

Candidates

Gord Brown (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2004, Brown was born in Toronto but grew up in Gananoque, where he graduated from Gananoque Secondary School before earning a degree in political science from Carleton University in 1983. Before entering federal politics, he served as a town councillor in Gananoque and as president of the 1000 Islands–Gananoque Chamber of Commerce. An accomplished athlete, Brown was a Canadian kayaking champion with the Gananoque Canoe Club and competed at the world championships in 1988. In Parliament, he introduced private members’ bills on topics including knife control and employment insurance benefits for parents of critically ill children.

Matthew Gabriel (NDP) carried the NDP banner in the riding.

Marjory Loveys (Liberal) ran for the Liberals, having also contested the riding in 2008.

Mary Slade (Green Party) rounded out the ballot.

About the Riding

Leeds—Grenville’s geography is defined by the St. Lawrence River corridor and the rolling countryside of eastern Ontario. Brockville, the riding’s largest community with a population of approximately 22,000, sits on the north bank of the St. Lawrence and has historically served as a manufacturing and transportation hub. Major employers in the Brockville area included 3M, which operated factories manufacturing tape and occupational health products, and Procter & Gamble, which manufactured Bounce dryer sheets and Swiffer products. The city’s location along the Highway 401 corridor and its proximity to international border crossings gave it strategic importance for cross-border trade.

Gananoque, with a population of roughly 5,000, serves as the gateway to the Thousand Islands and relies heavily on tourism, with boat cruises, heritage attractions, and seasonal visitors driving the local economy. Prescott, at the riding’s western end, is a small town along the river with its own border crossing to Ogdensburg, New York. Inland, the riding encompasses agricultural land, small villages, and the cottage country around the Rideau Lakes system.

The Municipality of North Grenville, centred on Kemptville, experienced steady population growth as a bedroom community for Ottawa commuters. Heading into 2011, the riding’s key concerns included the vulnerability of its manufacturing base to global competition, infrastructure needs in small municipalities, and the economic importance of maintaining cross-border trade flows along the St. Lawrence corridor.