Algonquin--Renfrew--Pembroke

Algonquin--Renfrew--Pembroke is a vast eastern Ontario riding covering all of Renfrew County and a portion of Nipissing District, including much of Algonquin Provincial Park. Renamed from Renfrew--Nipissing--Pembroke under the 2022 redistribution to recognize the Algonquin Anishinaabe history of the region, the riding stretches from the Ottawa River towns of Arnprior and Pembroke deep into the forested interior of the Canadian Shield. It encompasses Garrison Petawawa, Canada's largest army base, along with the towns of Deep River, Renfrew, and Cobden. The riding has been held by the Conservatives since 2000.

Candidates

Cheryl Gallant (Conservative) won her ninth consecutive federal election, making her one of the longest-serving members of Parliament. First elected in 2000 under the Canadian Alliance banner, Gallant made history as the first woman elected to federal office in Renfrew County. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a degree in chemistry, she previously worked as a group insurance executive and in a family-owned professional practice. Along with fellow MP Scott Reid, Gallant is one of the last sitting MPs who originally served under the Canadian Alliance.

Cyndi Mills (Liberal) is the president of the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce and owner-publisher of Canadian Military Family Magazine, a national publication serving military families across Canada. A business entrepreneur and community advocate, Mills was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate and led the party to its strongest local showing since 2015.

Eileen Jones-Whyte (NDP) is a longtime educator in the region who also has military experience. She ran for the NDP federally once before, in 2019, and continues to work as a supply teacher in the Ottawa Valley.

Randy Briand (United Party of Canada) stood as the United Party candidate.

Danilo Velasquez (Green Party) ran as the Green candidate in the riding.

Seth Malina (Independent) ran as an independent candidate.

About the Riding

The military is the single largest economic force in Algonquin--Renfrew--Pembroke. Garrison Petawawa, situated along the Ottawa River, directly employs approximately 6,000 service members and 1,000 civilians, and the wider Petawawa community depends heavily on defence spending. In the 2025 campaign, national sovereignty and defence readiness took on heightened urgency as US trade tensions and global instability made military investment a prominent theme.

Forestry has been the other traditional pillar of the riding's economy. The Ottawa Valley was one of Canada's earliest logging frontiers, and the timber industry remains significant across the region, though employment has declined as mills have modernized or closed. The Petawawa Research Forest and Algonquin Provincial Park give the riding a strong connection to natural-resource management and ecological research. Tourism, particularly around Algonquin Park, contributes seasonal revenue.

The riding's vast geography creates persistent challenges with health-care access, infrastructure, and broadband connectivity. Rural communities in the riding's interior contend with physician shortages and long distances to hospital services. An aging population and youth out-migration compound these pressures, while the cost of home heating during harsh Ottawa Valley winters remains a pocketbook concern for many households.