Thunder Bay—Superior North

Thunder Bay—Superior North takes in the northern half of the city of Thunder Bay and follows a long ribbon of communities eastward along the north shore of Lake Superior—through Nipigon, Red Rock, Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Marathon, and Manitouwadge—before reaching inland to the municipality of Greenstone in the boreal interior. Several First Nations, including Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, lie within the riding's boundaries.

Candidates

Patty Hajdu (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2015, seeking a second term. Hajdu held a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Lakehead University and a master's in public administration from the University of Victoria. Before entering politics, she spent roughly nine years at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit working in harm prevention and substance misuse education, then served as executive director of Shelter House, Thunder Bay's largest homeless shelter, where she launched the SOS Street Outreach Service. In her first term she was appointed Minister of Status of Women and subsequently Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.

Frank Pullia (Conservative) — A former three-term Thunder Bay city councillor who had also made five attempts at the Thunder Bay mayor's chair. Pullia campaigned on regional infrastructure investment, resource development, and affordability.

Anna Betty Achneepineskum (NDP) — A former deputy grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the political organization representing forty-nine First Nations across northern Ontario. Achneepineskum made youth mental health, suicide prevention, and job creation central themes of her campaign, drawing on her leadership experience in Indigenous governance.

Bruce Hyer (Green Party) — A former MP for Thunder Bay—Superior North, first elected under the NDP banner in 2008 and re-elected in 2011. Hyer left the NDP caucus in 2012 over the party's position on the long-gun registry and sat as an independent before joining the Green Party in late 2013. A biologist and former ecotourism operator, he had previously headed the North of Superior Tourism Board. This was his second run under the Green banner after finishing fourth in 2015.

Youssef Khanjari (People's Party) and Alexander Vodden (Libertarian) also stood for election.

About the Riding

Thunder Bay's north side anchors the riding's population, with Lakehead University, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and the Bombardier rail-car manufacturing facility among the largest employers. The health sciences centre serves as the tertiary-care hub for all of northwestern Ontario, drawing patients from communities hundreds of kilometres away. Lakehead University and Confederation College provide post-secondary education and research capacity, including programs serving a significant Indigenous student population.

Along the Lake Superior shore, the pulp-and-paper industry that once sustained towns like Terrace Bay and Marathon had contracted sharply over the preceding decade, forcing communities to explore mining and renewable energy as alternatives. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, on the peninsula forming Thunder Bay's harbour, is one of the region's most recognizable natural landmarks.

The riding's vast distances created persistent challenges for service delivery. Communities east of Thunder Bay were separated by hundreds of kilometres of highway, and access to health care, broadband connectivity, and government services diminished rapidly outside the city. The opioid crisis was increasingly visible in Thunder Bay, and candidates across party lines addressed the intersection of homelessness, addiction, and public safety in their platforms.