Nanaimo—Ladysmith

Nanaimo—Ladysmith sits along the central east coast of Vancouver Island, anchored by the city of Nanaimo and extending south to the town of Ladysmith. The riding also includes the municipality of Lantzville to the north and Gabriola Island in the Strait of Georgia. With Nanaimo serving as the island's second-largest city after Victoria, the riding functions as a regional hub for transportation, healthcare, and education.

Candidates

Paul Manly (Green Party) — Born in Port Alice and raised partly in Ladysmith, Manly was a researcher, filmmaker, and communications specialist who had lived in Nanaimo since 2002. His father, James Manly, had served as an NDP Member of Parliament in the 1980s. Paul Manly won a historic by-election in Nanaimo—Ladysmith in May 2019, becoming only the second Green MP ever elected federally in Canada after Elizabeth May, and entered the general election as the incumbent.

John Hirst (Conservative) — Born and raised in Nanaimo, Hirst was a financial services professional and community volunteer. He had also contested the May 2019 by-election, finishing second.

Bob Chamberlin (NDP) — Chief councillor of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation and former vice-president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Chamberlin was a prominent Indigenous leader on Vancouver Island. He had also run in the May by-election, finishing third.

Michelle Corfield (Liberal) — A lifelong Nanaimo resident with roots in the Ucluelet First Nation, Corfield held a doctorate in organizational leadership and management and a master's degree in conflict analysis. She spent nearly three decades working in treaty negotiations for First Nations and operated a consulting firm specializing in engagement, facilitation, and strategic planning.

Minor candidates included Jennifer Clarke (People's Party), Geoff Stoneman (Independent), Brian Marlatt (PC Party), James Chumsa (Communist), and Echo White (Independent).

About the Riding

Nanaimo was founded as a coal-mining town in the 1850s, and mining sustained the local economy for over a century before the last mines closed in the late 1960s. Forestry succeeded coal as a primary industry but has also contracted over the decades. The modern economy centres on healthcare—Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is one of Vancouver Island's largest medical facilities—retail, education through Vancouver Island University, and a developing technology sector. BC Ferries terminals at Departure Bay and Duke Point provide the primary vehicle links to Metro Vancouver, making ferry fares and service levels a persistent political issue. The riding was the site of a remarkable political shift in 2019: after the NDP's Sheila Malcolmson resigned her federal seat to run provincially, the May by-election produced a Green Party breakthrough that reshaped the riding's political landscape. Ladysmith, a heritage town of roughly 9,000 near the 49th parallel, has developed a growing arts community. Gabriola Island adds a rural and artistic dimension, home to roughly 4,000 residents and known for its sandstone galleries shaped by coastal erosion. Housing affordability, the opioid crisis, and the protection of coastal waters were central campaign issues.