London--Fanshawe

London--Fanshawe covers the southeastern portion of the City of London, Ontario, taking in a mix of established working-class neighbourhoods, newer suburban subdivisions, and the Fanshawe College campus. The riding has been an NDP stronghold since 2006, when Irene Mathyssen first won the seat, beginning a nearly two-decade streak that her daughter Lindsay continued. In 2025, that streak ended when the riding elected its first-ever Conservative member of Parliament.

Candidates

Kurt Holman (Conservative) is the first Conservative MP ever elected in London--Fanshawe. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, and raised in Forest, Holman earned a diploma in computer engineering technology from Lambton College and an MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. He spent 27 years working in information technology management before entering politics. A long-time London resident, Holman volunteered extensively with community organizations including the Creative City committee, the Young Professionals Group, and Fiesta London, earning the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Civilian Medal for his volunteer work.

Najam Naqvi (Liberal) was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to London in 2000 to build a better future for his three children. He trained as a lawyer, and after years of working various jobs while requalifying, was called to the Ontario bar in 2022 and opened his own law firm in London. A Liberal Party member since 2001, Naqvi has volunteered for candidates at multiple levels of government.

Lindsay Mathyssen (NDP) is the outgoing incumbent, first elected in 2019 as the successor to her mother Irene Mathyssen, making her the first daughter to succeed her mother as a member of Parliament. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and political science from Queen's University and studied non-profit management at Western University. Before entering Parliament, she worked for 11 years as an NDP staffer to four different members of Parliament. She served as Deputy House Leader of the NDP.

Daniel Buta (People's Party) ran on a platform emphasizing fiscal responsibility and individual freedoms.

About the Riding

London--Fanshawe's economy centres on manufacturing, logistics, health care, and education. Fanshawe College, with an enrollment of roughly 21,000 full-time students, is a major employer and a driver of skilled-trades training. The riding's industrial parks host a range of light-manufacturing and distribution operations, and many residents work in health care, retail, and service-sector jobs. The riding's demographics skew younger and more diverse than the city average, with significant Arab, Black, South Asian, and Indigenous populations.

The Conservative breakthrough in 2025 reflected a confluence of factors. Mathyssen attributed the result in part to strategic voting driven by US trade tensions, arguing that voters concerned about Donald Trump's tariff threats shifted to the Liberals rather than the NDP, allowing the Conservative candidate to come through the middle in a three-way split. The riding had been trending more competitive in recent cycles, and affordability concerns resonated strongly in a constituency with household incomes below the city median.

Housing affordability, health-care access, and the cost of groceries were the most commonly cited concerns among voters. London's rental market tightened considerably during the early 2020s, and visible homelessness increased in the city's east end. The riding's manufacturing workers faced direct exposure to US tariff threats, adding economic uncertainty to an already anxious electorate.