Essex

Essex sweeps across the flat, fertile farmland of Ontario's southwestern tip, from the historic town of Amherstburg on the Detroit River through the greenhouse capital of Leamington on Lake Erie's north shore. The riding takes in the municipalities of Essex, Kingsville, LaSalle, and parts of Lakeshore, encircling the City of Windsor without including it. Point Pelee National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Canada, juts into Lake Erie from the riding's southeastern corner.

Candidates

Tracey Ramsey (NDP) — A resident of Lakeshore, Ramsey worked for nineteen years at Ford Motor Company before turning to labour organizing. She was a graduate of St. Clair College's practical nursing program and had become active with Unifor, the national union representing Canadian autoworkers. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair visited the riding twice during the campaign to support her candidacy.

Jeff Watson (Conservative) — The four-term incumbent, Watson studied history and political science at the University of Windsor before working on the line at Chrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant for seven years. First elected in 2004 as the first centre-right MP for Essex in forty-six years, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport in 2013.

Audrey Festeryga (Liberal) — A lawyer who grew up on a family farm in Essex County, Festeryga returned to the region after university and law school to build a legal practice and raise her family. She ran as the Liberal candidate in a riding where the party had historically struggled to gain traction.

Jennifer Alderson (Green Party) — Alderson stood as the Green Party's candidate in Essex.

Enver Villamizar also ran for the Marxist-Leninist Party.

About the Riding

The auto industry loomed large over the 2015 campaign in Essex. The riding's economy is tightly linked to automotive manufacturing and parts production in the broader Windsor–Essex corridor, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations became a flashpoint issue. Unifor and local auto parts manufacturers raised alarms about provisions that could allow Japanese automakers to export vehicles to North America with less domestic content than existing rules required. Beyond the auto sector, Essex County's greenhouse industry — concentrated around Leamington and Kingsville — is one of the largest in North America, producing tomatoes, peppers, and cannabis under acres of glass. Seasonal agricultural labour, particularly the treatment of migrant farm workers, was another recurring concern. Amherstburg, one of the oldest settlements in Ontario, draws heritage tourism tied to its role in the War of 1812 and the Underground Railroad. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, the new crossing between Windsor and Detroit named in 2015, promised to reshape transportation patterns across the region.