Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke

Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke covers a vast stretch of the upper Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario, encompassing all of Renfrew County along with a portion of Nipissing District that includes the eastern section of Algonquin Provincial Park. The riding extends along the Ottawa River from the town of Arnprior in the southeast to the town of Deep River in the northwest, spanning a landscape of boreal forest, agricultural valleys, and Canadian Shield terrain.

Candidates

Cheryl Gallant (Conservative) — Gallant was the incumbent, first elected in 2000 when she defeated Liberal MP Hec Clouthier, becoming the first woman elected to federal office in Renfrew County. Born in Sarnia, she graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. Before entering politics, she worked as a group insurance executive for a major Canadian life insurance company. She had been re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008.

Hec Clouthier (Independent) — Clouthier was a former Liberal MP who had represented the riding from 1997 to 2000, running on the slogan "Give 'em Hec." He came from the Clouthier family, whose firm Hec Clouthier and Sons Inc. had been a driving force in the Ottawa Valley logging industry for over 55 years. Before entering politics, he was vice-president of the family lumber company. He was also deeply involved in the community, having served as campaign chair for the United Way Upper Ottawa Valley, chair of the Ottawa Valley Lumber Association, and president of the Pembroke and Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2011, he ran as an Independent rather than seeking the Liberal nomination.

Eric Burton (NDP) — Burton stood as the NDP candidate in the riding.

Christine Tabbert (Liberal) — Tabbert carried the Liberal banner in the riding in the absence of Clouthier as the party's standard-bearer.

Roseanne Van Schie (Green Party) — Van Schie ran as the Green Party candidate for the riding.

About the Riding

The riding's economy is anchored by three major federal pillars. Garrison Petawawa, one of Canada's largest army bases, employs approximately 5,000 military personnel and over 1,000 civilians, making it the dominant employer in the Petawawa area and a hub for the Canadian Forces' combat operations, including deployments to Afghanistan that were ongoing in 2011. The town of Petawawa, adjacent to the base, had grown rapidly as a military community.

At Chalk River, the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (then Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) operates a nationally significant nuclear research complex that has been active since 1944. The site hosted Canada's first nuclear reactor, ZEEP, which went critical in 1945, making it the first controlled nuclear chain reaction outside the United States. The facility employed approximately 3,400 workers and served as the centre of Canada's nuclear science and isotope production programs. The nearby town of Deep River was originally built to house nuclear scientists and their families.

The City of Pembroke, with a population of roughly 14,000, serves as the commercial centre of the upper Ottawa Valley. Arnprior, at the riding's southern end, is closer to Ottawa's commuter belt. Forestry and agriculture remain important in the more rural parts of Renfrew County, with a mix of dairy farming and beef cattle operations. Tourism, centred on Algonquin Provincial Park and the Ottawa River's whitewater recreation, also contributes to the regional economy. The Pikwakanagan First Nation (Golden Lake) is located within the riding. Key federal issues in 2011 included military family support and base investment, the future of the nuclear research facility at Chalk River, rural health care access, and forestry sector viability.