Peterborough--Kawartha

Peterborough--Kawartha extends from the city of Peterborough into the surrounding municipalities of Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Otonabee-South Monaghan, and Asphodel-Norwood. The riding includes Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation, and its terrain transitions from the urban core along the Otonabee River to the lakes, forests, and farmland of the Kawartha region to the north and east.

Candidates

Maryam Monsef (Liberal) --- First elected in 2015, Monsef held a Bachelor of Science from Trent University in biology and psychology and had deep roots in the Peterborough community through work with the New Canadians Centre and the YWCA of Peterborough and Haliburton. After her initial election, she served as Minister of Democratic Institutions and later as Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Minister of International Development. She had also run for mayor of Peterborough in 2014, finishing second.

Michael Skinner (Conservative) --- Skinner was a Peterborough-based entrepreneur and investor. He founded Operitel Corporation, a learning software company that was acquired by OpenText Corporation in 2011, and served as president of MAS Capital Investments. He was named Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Business Citizen of the Year in 2011 and was inducted into the Junior Achievement Peterborough Business Hall of Fame in 2017. He had also been the Conservative candidate in the riding in 2015.

Candace Shaw (NDP) --- A Trent University graduate originally from Keene, Ontario, Shaw founded Canadian Women Working in Music in 2014. She returned to Peterborough in the spring of 2019 and won the NDP nomination over two other contenders for her first federal campaign.

Andrew MacGregor (Green Party) --- MacGregor worked as a financial planner in Peterborough and volunteered as treasurer of the Peterborough Paramedics and Beyond board and as a coach with the Peterborough Youth Soccer Club.

Alexander Murphy (People's Party), Robert M Bowers (Independent), and Ken Ranney (Stop Climate Change) also sought election in the riding.

About the Riding

Peterborough--Kawartha's reputation as one of Canada's most reliable bellwether ridings --- having elected a member of the governing party in all but a handful of elections since the 1960s --- made it a closely watched race in 2019. Trent University and Fleming College serve as major employers and economic anchors, with the post-secondary sector shaping the city's character and drawing a younger demographic. Peterborough Regional Health Centre provides essential services across the region. The Trent-Severn Waterway, a National Historic Site, threads through the riding and supports a tourism economy built around boating, fishing, and cottage country. By 2019, the opioid crisis had become a significant local concern, with Peterborough experiencing elevated rates of opioid-related emergency visits. Affordable housing pressures were mounting as the city attracted new residents seeking lower costs compared to the Greater Toronto Area. Reconciliation and treaty rights remained important given the presence of Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations within the riding's boundaries.