Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock

Covering nearly 8,700 square kilometres of central Ontario's cottage country, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock is one of the province's largest ridings by area. The constituency stretches from the southern edge of Algonquin Park through the Haliburton Highlands and the lake-dotted municipality of Kawartha Lakes to the Township of Brock near Lake Simcoe's eastern shore. Lindsay, the largest town, serves as the commercial hub, while communities like Fenelon Falls, Minden, Haliburton, and Bobcaygeon draw visitors year-round.

Candidates

Jamie Schmale (Conservative) — A Loyalist College graduate in radio broadcasting, Schmale spent eleven years as executive assistant to outgoing MP Barry Devolin and managed Devolin's campaigns in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011. His deep familiarity with the riding and its constituent concerns, built through more than a decade of federal constituency work, formed the foundation of his candidacy. He won the Conservative nomination in 2014.

David Marquis (Liberal) — Marquis ran as the Liberal candidate, calling for electoral reform and advocating that an all-party parliamentary committee examine alternatives to the first-past-the-post voting system.

Mike Perry (NDP) — Perry was a visible presence in the riding, beginning his campaign even before the election was formally called. He advocated for electoral reform, proposing a system in which voters would cast two ballots — one for a local representative and one for a regional party candidate.

Bill MacCallum (Green Party) — MacCallum represented the Green Party in a riding where issues of environmental conservation and resource management carried particular weight given the area's dependence on its natural landscape.

About the Riding

With Barry Devolin stepping down after four terms as the riding's Conservative MP, the 2015 election brought an open race to a seat that had been in Tory hands since 2004. The riding's economy revolved around tourism, forestry, and agriculture, with the seasonal population of cottagers and vacationers swelling communities each summer. Kawartha Lakes, home to over 250 lakes and rivers and known as the houseboat capital of Ontario, depended heavily on a healthy natural environment to sustain its recreation-based economy. Healthcare access was a major concern, with residents in the riding's more remote communities facing long drives to hospitals in Lindsay or Peterborough. The area's aging population — one of the oldest demographic profiles in Ontario — amplified worries about long-term care availability, rural ambulance response times, and the sustainability of small-town services. Cellular coverage and broadband internet access in the Haliburton Highlands remained spotty, a point of frustration for both year-round residents and seasonal businesses.