Parry Sound—Muskoka

Parry Sound—Muskoka is a vast riding in central Ontario, stretching across the Territorial District of Parry Sound and the District Municipality of Muskoka. The riding encompasses the towns of Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Parry Sound, along with dozens of smaller communities, townships, and unorganized territories spread across the Canadian Shield landscape of lakes, forests, and rocky terrain. It lies roughly two to three hours north of Toronto along Highway 11 and Highway 400.

Candidates

Tony Clement (Conservative) — Clement was the incumbent MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, first elected in the riding in 2006 by a margin of just twenty-eight votes following a judicial recount, and re-elected more comfortably in 2008. Born in 1961, he held a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a law degree from the University of Toronto. He began his political career in Ontario provincial politics, winning election as MPP for Brampton South in 1995 and serving in the cabinets of Premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. His provincial portfolios included Transportation, Environment, Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Health and Long-Term Care. As Ontario's Health Minister, he played a prominent role during the 2003 SARS crisis, travelling to Geneva to successfully lobby the World Health Organization to lift its travel advisory against Toronto. After losing his provincial seat in 2003, he moved to federal politics. In the Harper government, he had served as Minister of Health, Minister of Industry, and was heading into the 2011 campaign as Minister of Industry. The 2010 G8 summit had been held at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville within the riding, and the allocation of a fifty-million-dollar G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund to local projects in the constituency had drawn scrutiny from the Auditor General.

Wendy Wilson (NDP) — Wilson stood as the NDP candidate for Parry Sound—Muskoka.

Cindy Waters (Liberal) — Waters ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding.

Glen Hodgson (Green Party) — Hodgson stood as the Green Party candidate for the riding.

David Carmichael (Independent) and Albert Gray Smith (Marxist-Leninist) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

Parry Sound—Muskoka is defined by its geography: the rugged Canadian Shield, dense boreal and mixed forests, and thousands of lakes that make the Muskoka region one of Ontario's premier cottage country destinations. Tourism and the seasonal economy are the riding's economic backbone, with resorts, marinas, outfitters, and service businesses catering to hundreds of thousands of visitors and seasonal residents each summer. Deerhurst Resort and the JW Marriott The Rosseau in Minett are among the region's flagship hospitality properties. The area's proximity to Algonquin Provincial Park adds to its draw for outdoor recreation.

Outside the tourism season, the riding's permanent population relies on forestry, small-scale manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and public sector employment. The Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare system operates hospitals in Huntsville and Bracebridge, serving as major local employers and healthcare providers. Huntsville, the largest town, had a population of approximately 19,000 as of the 2011 census, while Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and Parry Sound each ranged between 6,000 and 16,000 residents.

The riding's population skews older than the provincial average, reflecting the attraction of the region as a retirement destination and the out-migration of younger residents seeking employment in larger centres. Key issues heading into the 2011 election included the sustainability of year-round employment in a tourism-dependent economy, healthcare access in rural and remote communities, infrastructure maintenance on the extensive road network, environmental stewardship of the region's lakes and watersheds, and the federal government's role in supporting seasonal workers and small businesses. The G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund spending remained a campaign issue, with questions about transparency and the selection of funded projects.