London—Fanshawe

Located in the southeastern quadrant of the City of London, this riding takes its name from Fanshawe College, the large public college whose main campus sits on 100 acres within the constituency. The district stretches across established residential neighbourhoods including Pond Mills, White Oaks, Glen Cairn, and Westminster, areas that developed rapidly in the decades following London's mid-twentieth-century suburban expansion.

Candidates

Irene Mathyssen (NDP) — A former high school English teacher at Saunders Secondary School, Mathyssen served as NDP MPP for Middlesex from 1990 to 1995 in the government of Premier Bob Rae. She entered federal politics in 2006, winning London—Fanshawe, and was seeking her fourth consecutive term in 2015. Educated at the University of Western Ontario with degrees in English, Drama, and Education, she had become a well-known advocate on issues of seniors' welfare and veterans' pensions.

Khalil Ramal (Liberal) — A former Liberal MPP who represented London—Fanshawe provincially from 2003 to 2011, Ramal had served as parliamentary assistant to the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Born in Lebanon and arriving in Canada in 1989, he held a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Master of Arts in social politics from Lebanese University and had worked as a teacher, journalist, and counsellor at the Oxford Regional Centre in Woodstock.

Suzanna Dieleman (Conservative) — Dieleman brought a background in municipal finance, having worked as a finance director in the Township of Malahide. She campaigned on fiscal accountability and responsible government spending.

Matthew Peloza (Green Party) — Peloza ran on the Green platform of environmental sustainability and economic reform.

Ali Hamadi also contested the riding as an Independent.

About the Riding

London—Fanshawe encompasses the working-class and middle-class neighbourhoods of London's southeast, a part of the city historically tied to light manufacturing and the service economy. Fanshawe College, with roughly 21,000 full-time students, is the riding's largest institution and a significant local employer. The Fanshawe Conservation Area and Pioneer Village draw visitors to the northeastern edge of the constituency. By 2015, Southwestern Ontario had experienced severe manufacturing job losses over the preceding decade, and the economic anxieties of displaced workers and young graduates shaped much of the local political conversation. Transit improvements, affordable housing, and support for post-secondary education were persistent concerns for residents navigating a regional economy in transition.