Thunder Bay--Superior North

Thunder Bay--Superior North is one of Ontario's largest federal ridings, covering roughly 88,000 square kilometres of the Canadian Shield from the north side of Thunder Bay along the north shore of Lake Superior, stretching north to the Albany River. The riding includes the communities of Marathon, Nipigon, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, and Longlac, along with twelve First Nations communities governed under Treaty 9 and the Robinson Superior Treaty. Much of the territory is remote boreal wilderness, with many communities connected by seasonal roads or accessible only by air. Liberal Patty Hajdu has held the seat since 2015.

Candidates

Patty Hajdu (Liberal) won her fourth consecutive election. Before entering politics, Hajdu worked in harm reduction, homelessness prevention, and substance misuse, spending nine years leading the drug awareness committee of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and serving as executive director of Shelter House, Thunder Bay's largest homeless shelter. She also worked as a graphic designer and creative director. First elected in 2015, Hajdu has held a series of senior cabinet posts, serving as Minister for Status of Women, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Minister of Health during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Minister of Indigenous Services from 2021 to 2025.

Bob Herman (Conservative) is a retired Thunder Bay police chief whose 32-year career with the Thunder Bay Police Service culminated in his appointment as Chief of Police, a role he held from 2000 to 2011. He was the first Thunder Bay chief to serve as president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces in 2012. After retiring, he served as interim deputy chief and interim chief with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service.

Joy Wakefield (NDP) is a bilingual lawyer and strategic consultant who previously served as Director of Human Rights and Equity at Lakehead University and as a bilingual staff lawyer with Legal Aid Ontario for nearly eight years, working across the Northwest region. She also served on secondment with the Justice Team at Nokiiwin Tribal Council.

Amos Bradley (People's Party - PPC) ran for the People's Party of Canada.

John Malcolm Northey (Green Party) stood as the Green Party candidate.

About the Riding

Thunder Bay--Superior North's economy has long been defined by forestry, mining, and the public sector. The north shore of Lake Superior, the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, is a landscape of exposed rock, boreal forest, and fast-flowing rivers that supports a declining but still significant pulp and paper industry. Mining exploration, particularly for critical minerals including lithium and chromite in the Ring of Fire mineral deposit to the north, has been the subject of sustained debate over economic development, environmental protection, and Indigenous rights.

Indigenous issues carry particular weight in this riding given the presence of twelve First Nations communities, many of which face chronic challenges including housing shortages, unsafe drinking water, and limited access to health and social services. Hajdu's tenure as Minister of Indigenous Services gave her a direct connection to these issues, though the pace of progress on longstanding concerns remained a source of frustration for many communities.

The 2025 campaign in Thunder Bay--Superior North was shaped by the riding's economic vulnerabilities. The closure of mills and the volatility of resource commodity prices have left many communities searching for new economic foundations. Healthcare access, particularly the shortage of physicians and specialists in communities hours from Thunder Bay, was a persistent concern. Hajdu's deep roots in Thunder Bay and her cabinet experience gave her a significant advantage, though Herman's profile as a respected former police chief made the race more competitive than in previous elections.