Haldimand--Norfolk

Haldimand--Norfolk is a large rural riding in southern Ontario, encompassing the entirety of Norfolk County and most of Haldimand County. Covering over 3,000 square kilometres, the riding stretches from the Grand River in the north to the shores of Lake Erie in the south. Major communities include Simcoe — the largest town in Norfolk County — along with Caledonia, Dunnville, Delhi, Hagersville, Cayuga, Jarvis, Port Dover, and Waterford. The riding excludes parts of the Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation reserves.

The area is heavily agricultural, with dairy, tobacco, and small grains forming the backbone of the farming economy. Norfolk County's sandy soils have historically supported tobacco cultivation — flue-cured tobacco production transformed the local economy after World War I — and the region has since diversified into alternative crops including ginseng and peanuts. The population of approximately 116,700 is predominantly English-speaking and largely rural.

Candidates

Leslyn Lewis (Conservative) — Born in Jamaica and immigrating to Canada at age five, Lewis grew up in East York, Ontario. She holds a BA from the University of Toronto's Trinity College, a Master of Environmental Studies from York University with a concentration in business and environment, and both a Juris Doctor and PhD in international law from Osgoode Hall Law School. She left the practice of law on Bay Street to start her own firm, Lewis Law, in Scarborough, specializing in commercial litigation and international trade with a focus on energy policy. Lewis made history as the first Black woman to run for the Conservative Party leadership in 2020, placing third. She was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate in Haldimand--Norfolk in 2020.

Karen Matthews (Liberal) — Born in Simcoe and raised in Port Dover, Matthews is a community leader with deep local roots. She served as General Manager of the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show and later led Burning Kiln Winery. She gained national attention for organizing the Gentlemen of the Road festival in 2013, which brought the Grammy Award-winning band Mumford and Sons to Norfolk County and attracted 30,000 visitors. She is an advocate for the local tourism, agriculture, and hospitality sectors.

Meghan Piironen (NDP) — A Haldimand County native, Piironen was nineteen years old at the time of the 2021 election — a second-year political science student at the University of Ottawa and a graduate of Cayuga Secondary School. While in high school, she founded the school's first Gay-Straight Alliance and became active with Pride Haldimand-Norfolk. Her campaign focused on youth representation, climate action, and support for Indigenous communities.

Ken Gilpin (PPC) — A longtime riding resident, Gilpin was a forty-six-year veteran of the Steel Company of Canada. He served as president of the Simcoe and District Optimist Club and volunteered at Norfolk General Hospital on the Ethics Committee, Patient Advisory Committee, and in the Emergency Department. He had previously run as a Reform Party candidate in 1993 and 1997.

About the Riding

Haldimand--Norfolk is a riding where agriculture, history, and unresolved land disputes converge. The area lies within the Haldimand Tract — a 385,000-hectare parcel along the Grand River that was granted to the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy by the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784 in recognition of their alliance with the British Crown during the American Revolution. The Six Nations contend that much of this land was improperly sold or given away by colonial and Canadian governments, and today only about five percent of the original tract remains under Indigenous control.

This history erupted into the present in 2020 with the occupation of a housing development site near Caledonia by Haudenosaunee land defenders — an action known as 1492 Land Back Lane. The dispute drew national attention, led to arrests and road blockades, and in April 2021, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council announced a moratorium on development within the entire Haldimand Tract. The tension between development interests and Indigenous land rights is a defining issue in the riding.

Beyond land disputes, the riding's economy faces the challenge of agricultural transition. The decline of tobacco farming — once the region's economic engine — has forced Norfolk County to diversify into tourism, wine production, and new crop varieties. Port Dover, on the Lake Erie shore, draws seasonal visitors to its beaches and fishing harbour, and the town's Friday the 13th motorcycle rallies have become a regional tradition.

Haldimand--Norfolk has been a Conservative stronghold for decades, and the party has held the seat continuously since 2004. The riding's rural, socially conservative electorate has provided strong margins for Conservative candidates, and Lewis's national profile from the leadership race added a new dimension to the riding's political identity in 2021.