Windsor West

Windsor West comprised the western portion of the City of Windsor, Ontario, situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly opposite downtown Detroit, Michigan. The riding contained the Ambassador Bridge, one of the busiest commercial border crossings in North America, as well as the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the University of Windsor campus. Windsor's downtown core, with its riverfront parks and casino complex, fell within the riding's boundaries.

Candidates

Brian Masse (NDP) — The incumbent MP, first elected in a 2002 by-election triggered by the retirement of longtime Liberal cabinet minister Herb Gray, who had represented the area since 1962. Before entering federal politics, Masse was a Windsor city councillor elected in 1997 and had previously worked as a job developer for the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities and as a program coordinator at the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County. He held a bachelor of arts in sociology from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dave Sundin (Liberal) — A litigation lawyer at McTague Law Firm in downtown Windsor. Born in Kingsville, Sundin earned his undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of Windsor. He served as president of the Windsor West federal Liberal riding association and was involved with the Rotary Club of Windsor.

Henry Lau (Conservative) — The Conservative candidate in the riding.

Cora LaRussa (Green Party) — The Green Party candidate in the riding.

Margaret Villamizar also ran for the Marxist-Leninist Party.

About the Riding

Windsor's economy was inseparable from the automotive industry and the cross-border trade corridor linking Ontario to Michigan. The Ambassador Bridge carried roughly a quarter of all Canada-United States merchandise trade, and the construction of the proposed Gordie Howe International Bridge — a new publicly owned crossing downstream from the Ambassador Bridge — was a major issue in the riding. The federal government had committed funding to the project, which was expected to ease congestion and reduce the commercial vulnerability of relying on a single privately owned bridge.

The University of Windsor, with an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students, was a significant employer and economic driver. Caesars Windsor, the city's casino resort on the riverfront, was a major employer and drew visitors from both sides of the border. Despite these anchors, Windsor had struggled through years of manufacturing job losses, and the city's unemployment rate in 2015 remained among the highest of any major Canadian city. The auto sector's partial recovery had brought some relief, but many residents who had worked in the parts supply chain or in tool-and-die shops had not regained comparable employment.