Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing

Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing is one of the largest federal ridings in Ontario, stretching from Manitoulin Island in the south to the communities of Hearst and Kapuskasing in the north. The district spans portions of the Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, and Thunder Bay districts, encompassing more than 100 communities scattered across a vast landscape of boreal forest, Canadian Shield rock, and freshwater lakes. Major population centres include Elliot Lake, Kapuskasing, Hearst, Espanola, Wawa, Blind River, Manitouwadge, and Chapleau, along with Manitoulin Island — the world's largest freshwater island. The riding also includes several First Nations communities, notably Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island.

The population skews significantly older than the provincial average — roughly 24 percent of residents are over the age of 65, compared to about 17 percent across Ontario. The riding has experienced population decline over several census periods as young people leave for employment in larger centres.

Candidates

Carol Hughes (NDP) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2008 after two previous attempts in 2004 and 2006. Before entering politics, Hughes worked as a staff representative for the Canadian Labour Congress and spent more than a decade in Probation and Parole Services. In Parliament, she served as Assistant Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole.

John Sagman (Conservative) — A mining engineer from Willisville with extensive experience in northern Ontario's resource sector. Sagman spent his career working with mining operations and had direct experience dealing with First Nations communities in the context of mine development and closure.

Duke Peltier (Liberal) — The former chief of Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island. Peltier brought Indigenous governance experience and community leadership to his candidacy, representing a riding with a significant Indigenous population.

Harry Jaaskelainen (PPC) — A forester and business owner from Echo Bay who also served as pastor at Calvary Christian Center. Jaaskelainen brought a resource-sector background to a riding where forestry remains a key employer.

About the Riding

The economy of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing has historically depended on natural resources — forestry, mining, and agriculture. Timber operations and sawmills dot the northern portion of the riding, while the mining sector provides employment in communities like Elliot Lake, which was originally built as a uranium mining town in the 1950s. Espanola's economy has long been tied to its pulp and paper mill, and Kapuskasing similarly relies on its Tembec (now Rayonier Advanced Materials) pulp mill as a major employer.

The riding faced persistent economic challenges heading into 2021. Mill closures and downsizing over the previous two decades had reduced the forestry workforce, and competition from imported lumber continued to pressure local operations. A proposed open-pit gold mine near Gogama drew both economic interest and environmental concern from residents worried about water contamination. Tourism — particularly on Manitoulin Island and in communities along the Trans-Canada Highway — provided a seasonal economic boost but could not offset the decline in resource-sector jobs.

Healthcare access was a dominant campaign issue. The vast distances between communities meant that residents routinely travelled hours to reach hospitals or specialist care. Recruitment and retention of doctors and nurses in remote northern communities remained a persistent challenge, with some towns going years without a permanent family physician. The aging population intensified demand for long-term care beds and home care services that were in chronically short supply.

Broadband internet access was another pressing concern. Many communities in the riding lacked reliable high-speed internet, putting residents and businesses at a disadvantage — a gap that the COVID-19 pandemic made painfully visible as remote work and online schooling became necessary.