Cambridge

Cambridge sits at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in southwestern Ontario, roughly 100 kilometres west of Toronto. The city was formed in 1973 from the amalgamation of three distinct communities—Galt, Preston, and Hespeler—each with its own downtown core, heritage architecture, and local identity. Under the 2022 redistribution, the riding boundaries were adjusted, with the southern Hespeler and eastern portions assigned to the new Kitchener South—Hespeler riding. Cambridge is a manufacturing city at heart, home to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada's assembly plants, which employ thousands of workers and anchor a network of parts suppliers and logistics firms across the Waterloo Region.

Candidates

Connie Cody (Conservative) was born and raised in Galt and is a mother and grandmother with deep roots in the community. She first ran for the Conservatives in Cambridge in the 2021 federal election and had also sought a seat on Cambridge city council in a 2020 by-election. Her campaign focused on affordability, housing, public safety, and reducing regulatory burdens on local businesses.

Bryan May (Liberal) represented Cambridge for three consecutive terms, first winning the riding in 2015. Born in Guelph, May attended the University of Waterloo and settled in Cambridge, where he worked for the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club before entering politics. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

José de Lima (NDP) ran on the NDP platform, focusing on workers' rights and affordability issues relevant to the riding's manufacturing workforce.

Lux Burgess (Green Party) ran on the Green Party platform, emphasizing environmental sustainability and community investment.

Manuel Couto (Marxist-Leninist) ran on the Marxist-Leninist platform.

About the Riding

Cambridge's economy is deeply tied to manufacturing, and the automotive sector looms especially large. Toyota's Cambridge and nearby Woodstock assembly plants produce popular models including the Lexus RX and NX, making the region one of Ontario's most tariff-exposed economies. When US President Donald Trump imposed and threatened further tariffs on Canadian goods in early 2025, the anxiety in Cambridge was palpable—thousands of jobs depended directly or indirectly on the cross-border auto supply chain.

Housing affordability and homelessness were dominant issues in the 2025 campaign. Cambridge has experienced visible increases in street homelessness, encampments, and addiction-related challenges in its downtown cores, particularly in Galt. Rising home prices and rental costs pushed the issue to the forefront of local debate, with candidates asked repeatedly how they would address the crisis.

The 2025 result was a significant upset. Poll aggregator 338Canada gave incumbent Bryan May a 99 percent chance of winning on election morning, but Cody defeated the three-term Liberal MP in a result that reflected the broader Conservative surge across the Waterloo Region, where the party flipped three seats. Cody's victory was part of a pattern of voter frustration with the incumbent government on affordability and quality-of-life issues, channelled through a candidate with strong local connections who had been building support since her 2021 run.