Thunder Bay—Superior North

Thunder Bay—Superior North covers the northern half of the City of Thunder Bay and a vast stretch of sparsely populated territory extending eastward along the north shore of Lake Superior. The riding encompasses communities such as Nipigon, Red Rock, Marathon, Manitouwadge, and White River, along with several First Nations including Fort William First Nation and numerous Anishinaabe communities. The city of Thunder Bay — split between two federal ridings at the Harbour Expressway — anchors the riding's population, with the north side falling within this district. Lakehead University, the regional post-secondary institution with approximately 7,900 students, is located in the riding. The population was approximately 86,100 at the time of the 2021 census.

A notable demographic feature is the riding's Finnish-Canadian community — roughly 13.7 percent of residents report Finnish ethnic origin, the highest proportion in any federal riding in Canada. The broader population is predominantly English-speaking, with an Indigenous population of approximately 13 percent.

Candidates

Patty Hajdu (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2015. Hajdu graduated from Lakehead University with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and later earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria. Before entering politics, she spent nine years with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit working in harm prevention and substance misuse education, and served as executive director of Shelter House, Thunder Bay's largest homeless shelter. She held multiple cabinet portfolios including Minister of Status of Women, Minister of Employment and Workforce Development, and Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chantelle Bryson (NDP) — A Thunder Bay lawyer who had worked with municipalities and First Nations across the riding for two decades. Bryson made the improvement of Indigenous services a top priority of her campaign, drawing on 25 years of advocacy for equality in public services for First Nation communities. This was her first federal candidacy.

Joshua Taylor (Conservative) — A 28-year-old from Geraldton who held an undergraduate degree in criminology and a master's in kinesiology from Western University. Taylor moved back to northern Ontario in 2018 and built his campaign around community safety and affordability, advocating for a crackdown on violent crime and gang activity and promoting plans to boost housing construction.

Rick Daines (PPC) — The People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Thunder Bay's economy is anchored by healthcare, education, and government services. The Thunder Bay Regional 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 together employ thousands and contribute to the local economy through research and student spending. The forestry sector — once the backbone of many communities along the north shore of Lake Superior — continued to contract, with mill closures and reduced production affecting towns like Marathon, Manitouwadge, and White River.

The riding's vast geography presented persistent challenges for service delivery. Communities east of Thunder Bay were separated by hundreds of kilometres of highway, and access to healthcare, broadband internet, and government services diminished sharply outside the city. First Nations communities within the riding faced compounding issues of housing shortages, inadequate water infrastructure, and limited access to mental health and addiction services.

Thunder Bay itself grappled with serious public safety concerns heading into 2021. The city had one of the highest per-capita crime severity rates among Canadian metropolitan areas, and candidates across party lines addressed the intersection of homelessness, addiction, and crime in their platforms. The opioid crisis was particularly acute — overdose deaths had risen sharply in the years preceding the election, and demand for harm-reduction services exceeded available capacity.

Transportation infrastructure mattered to residents across the riding. Highway 11/17 — the Trans-Canada — was the sole road link between many communities, and winter driving conditions made travel hazardous. Air service from Thunder Bay connected the city to Toronto and Winnipeg, but smaller communities relied on limited regional carriers. The question of improved intercity transit and reliable highway maintenance was a recurring theme at candidate forums throughout the campaign.