Saint John—Kennebecasis

Saint John—Kennebecasis encompasses Canada’s oldest incorporated city, Saint John, along with the suburban communities of Quispamsis and Rothesay in the Kennebecasis River valley. The riding was renamed from Saint John—Rothesay under the 2022 redistribution, gaining Quispamsis from Fundy Royal while losing the portions of Saint John west of the Saint John River to the newly created Saint John—St. Croix. Situated on the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, the riding includes the city’s historic Uptown core, its industrial East Side, major port and refinery facilities, and the affluent residential suburbs to the northeast.

Candidates

Wayne Long (Liberal) is the incumbent, first elected in 2015 in the former riding of Saint John—Rothesay. Before entering politics, Long had a career as a seafood industry executive, serving as president of Scotiaview Seafood, and is best known locally for his decade-plus tenure as president of the Saint John Sea Dogs, leading the QMJHL franchise to a Memorial Cup championship in 2011. Long had initially announced he would not seek re-election but reversed that decision when Mark Carney entered the Liberal leadership race.

Melissa Young (Conservative) grew up near Minto, New Brunswick, and moved to the Saint John area roughly 25 years ago. She built a career in government relations, workforce development, and skills training, working for trade unions and governments in both New Brunswick and Ontario. She served as CEO of Skilled Trades Ontario from January 2022 until late 2024, and was appointed the Conservative candidate on the day of the election call.

Armand Cormier (NDP) is a software programmer whose clients include the Department of National Defence, developing applications for projects ranging from early-childhood literacy to military learning systems. A previous NDP candidate in Saint John—Rothesay in 2019, Cormier focused his 2025 campaign on housing affordability and preventing corporate acquisition of affordable housing.

David MacFarquhar (Green Party) grew up in Quispamsis and holds a master’s degree in physics. An engineer, physicist, and data scientist, MacFarquhar previously ran as a Green candidate in the 2022 Quebec provincial election and emphasized wealth redistribution and non-market housing.

Austin Venedam (Libertarian) also stood as a candidate.

About the Riding

Saint John—Kennebecasis is defined economically by the outsized presence of Irving-owned enterprises. The Irving Oil refinery—Canada’s largest, processing over 320,000 barrels of crude per day—sends roughly 80 percent of its refined products to the United States. The Port of Saint John, one of Canada’s largest by tonnage, handles dry and liquid bulk, containers, and cruise traffic. An estimated 96 percent of the city’s total exports are US-bound, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce ranked Saint John the most tariff-vulnerable city in the country in 2025.

This extreme trade dependence made US tariffs the defining issue of the 2025 campaign. Disruptions to cross-border energy flows would threaten thousands of direct and indirect jobs tied to the refinery and port. The city explored diversifying its export markets through expanded European and South American trade routes via its deep-water port.

Beyond trade, the riding contains stark socioeconomic contrasts. Quispamsis and Rothesay rank among the wealthiest communities in Atlantic Canada, while Saint John’s urban core contends with some of the region’s highest child-poverty rates. Health-care strain, housing affordability pressures, and the revitalization of Saint John’s Uptown commercial district were also prominent campaign themes. Irving Oil’s decision not to proceed with a previously explored sale of the refinery was widely interpreted as reflecting the uncertainty hanging over the city’s economic future.