Saint John—St. Croix

Saint John—St. Croix is a newly configured riding for the 2025 election, created through the 2022 federal redistribution to replace the former New Brunswick Southwest. The riding sweeps across the southwestern corner of the province, taking in all of Charlotte County—including St. Stephen, St. Andrews, St. George, and Blacks Harbour—along with the west side of the city of Saint John, separated from the rest of the city by the Saint John River and harbour. It also extends into portions of York, Sunbury, Queens, and Kings counties, encompassing communities such as Grand Bay–Westfield, Musquash, and Burton. The 2022 boundary changes brought the Saint John west-side neighbourhoods into the riding while transferring the Kingsclear, Hanwell, and Harvey areas to Tobique—Mactaquac.

Candidates

John Williamson (Conservative) is the incumbent, first elected in 2011 and returned in 2019 and 2021 after losing his seat in 2015. A McGill graduate with a master's degree in economic history from the London School of Economics, Williamson worked as a founding editorial board member at the National Post, led the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and served as Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office under Stephen Harper. In Parliament, he chaired the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, leading high-profile studies into the ArriveCAN contracting controversy and governance issues at Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

Karen Ludwig (Liberal) made history in 2015 as the first woman elected in New Brunswick Southwest, defeating Williamson. A business professor at the University of New Brunswick with master's degrees in both arts and education, Ludwig served on the Standing Committee on International Trade and was Vice-Chair of the Canada–US Inter-Parliamentary Group during her time as MP. She was defeated in 2019 and was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for the redrawn riding in 2025.

Andrew Hill (NDP) is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran with over 17 years of service as a non-commissioned member. A resident of Charters Settlement, Hill runs a veteran peer support group and has volunteered with ParaSport NB and initiatives supporting unhoused individuals in the community.

Gerald Irish (Green Party) is a longtime Green Party activist in New Brunswick who previously ran in the Saint John East riding during the 2024 provincial election. A believer in social justice and equality, Irish is known locally for maintaining a 45-foot schooner with his father and sailing the Saint John River.

Keith Tays (Libertarian) also stood as a candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Saint John—St. Croix spans a striking economic range. The west side of Saint John is a historic, densely built area of pre-1960 homes and duplexes with a working-class character, while Charlotte County's coastal towns sustain themselves on aquaculture, fishing, and tourism. Cooke Aquaculture, headquartered in the St. Stephen area, has grown from a small family salmon farm into one of the world's largest independent salmon farming companies. Connors Bros. in Blacks Harbour operates the largest sardine canning facility in North America. Ganong Bros., Canada's oldest chocolate company, maintains its factory in St. Stephen. The border town of St. Stephen sits directly across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine, and the two communities share deep economic and cultural ties.

The riding's proximity to the United States made trade tensions a defining issue in 2025. Saint John was ranked by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as Canada's most tariff-vulnerable city, and the Irving Oil refinery—located just across the harbour in the neighbouring riding but deeply integrated into west-side employment—sends roughly 80 percent of its refined products to the US market. Cross-border disruptions would ripple directly through the riding's workforce. In Charlotte County, the aquaculture industry's reliance on US seafood markets amplified these concerns.

Property tax pressures also weighed on west-side residents in 2025. Residential assessments on Saint John's lower west side increased sharply, while industrial properties owned by major corporations saw reductions—a disparity that fuelled frustration among homeowners. Housing affordability, health-care access at rural clinics across the riding's vast geography, and the economic future of small coastal communities all featured prominently in the campaign.