Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes

Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes extends along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River from Gananoque to Brockville and Prescott, then reaches northward through the Rideau Lakes corridor toward Kemptville and Merrickville. The riding encompasses the entirety of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in eastern Ontario, a region defined by the St. Lawrence River, the Thousand Islands archipelago, and the historic Rideau Canal.

Candidates

Michael Barrett (Conservative) — Born in Arnprior in 1984, Barrett graduated from Algonquin College in Ottawa and served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a telecommunications lineman. After his military service, he worked as a human resources manager and served as an elected councillor in the municipality of Edwardsburgh Cardinal. He won a December 2018 by-election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of longtime MP Gord Brown and sought a full term in the general election.

Josh Bennett (Liberal) — An Augusta native who attended school in Prescott, Bennett graduated from Queen's University and held a Master of National Defence Studies from the Royal Military College. He brought experience in public policy and the private sector, and entered the campaign as a first-time federal candidate.

Michelle Taylor (NDP) — Taylor had been a progressive activist in Leeds—Grenville for several years, originally drawn into public advocacy through a fight against the closure of local schools. She was nominated as the NDP candidate following a nomination meeting in June 2019.

Lorraine Rekmans (Green Party) — A former executive director of the National Aboriginal Forestry Association, Rekmans brought decades of experience in policy development. She had previously run for Parliament twice in the Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing riding and served as the Green Party's Indigenous affairs critic. She identified affordable housing as the most pressing issue in the riding.

Evan Hindle ran for the People's Party.

About the Riding

The Thousand Islands, an archipelago of more than 1,800 islands where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario, anchors the riding's tourism economy. Gananoque markets itself as the gateway to the Thousand Islands, with boat cruises, the Thousand Islands Playhouse theatre, and the scenic Thousand Islands Parkway drawing visitors. The Rideau Canal, built between 1826 and 1832 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, connects Kingston to Ottawa through the riding's northern reaches and supports recreational boating, cycling, and winter tourism.

Brockville, the riding's largest community with a population of approximately 22,000, serves as a regional centre with a diversified industrial base and Brockville General Hospital. The town of Prescott sits near the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, one of the smaller Canada–U.S. border crossings, while the Thousand Islands Bridge provides another international link to New York State.

Agriculture, small manufacturing, and public-sector employment rounded out the economic base. Cross-border trade and tourism were significant local concerns, as was the state of broadband internet and cellular coverage in the riding's many rural areas. Highway 401 and Highway 416 served as critical transportation corridors. The riding had been held by Conservative members for generations, and Barrett's by-election victory the previous December positioned him as a well-established incumbent heading into the general election.