Mushkegowuk—James Bay

Mushkegowuk—James Bay is one of Ontario’s newest and most geographically vast provincial ridings, spanning approximately 245,000 square kilometres across the northernmost reaches of northeastern Ontario. Created in 2017 from the northern portion of the former Timmins—James Bay riding, it stretches from the Highway 11 corridor communities of Kapuskasing and Hearst northward to the James Bay coast, including Moosonee, Moose Factory, and several Cree First Nations including Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, and Fort Albany. The riding has a population of roughly 30,000, with a demographic composition that is approximately 60 percent francophone and 27 percent Indigenous. Guy Bourgouin of the NDP had held the seat since the riding’s creation in 2018, and he entered the 2022 campaign as a strong incumbent with deep roots in the region’s labour movement.

Six candidates competed for the seat, but the contest was principally between Bourgouin and Progressive Conservative challenger Eric Côté, with the Liberals offering a third-party alternative. The vast distances and remote communities within the riding made campaigning a logistical challenge, and residents on the James Bay coast had voiced frustration about being overlooked by candidates who concentrated their efforts in the more accessible southern communities.

Candidates

Guy Bourgouin (NDP) — Born and raised in Dubreuilville, Ontario, Bourgouin is of Métis heritage and based in Kapuskasing. Before entering politics, he served as president of United Steelworkers Local 1-2010 for 19 years, representing workers across northern Ontario in forestry, health care, and social services. As MPP, he served as the Official Opposition critic for Francophone Affairs and Training, Trades, and Apprenticeships.

Eric Côté (Progressive Conservative) — The General Manager of Public Works for the Town of Kapuskasing, Côté had also served on the Moonbeam town council. He drew criticism during the campaign for declining to participate in all-candidates meetings.

Matthew Pronovost (Liberal) — A French-language educator and advocate, Pronovost resided in Moonbeam and taught at a secondary school in Smooth Rock Falls. He held a degree from Laurentian University and had worked for the Federation of Francophone Youth, facilitating seminars in schools across northern Ontario. He was also a volunteer firefighter.

Catherine Jones (Green Party) — Jones carried the Green Party banner in the riding.

Mike Buckley ran for the New Blue Party, and Fauzia Sadiq represented the Confederation of Regions Party.

Local Issues

The forestry industry was central to the riding’s economy and its politics. Communities along the Highway 11 corridor, including Kapuskasing and Hearst, had been built around pulp and paper mills, and the collapse of the forest industry during the 2008 recession had left lasting economic scars. Bourgouin, drawing on his decades of union leadership, argued that successive Liberal and Conservative governments had failed to develop a coherent strategy for the sector. Mill closures and reduced operations had driven population decline in several communities, and residents called for provincial investment in value-added forestry, better forest management policies, and support for workers transitioning out of the industry.

Francophone rights and services were a major concern in this predominantly French-speaking riding. The insolvency of Laurentian University in 2021, which resulted in the termination of numerous French-language programs, provoked anger across northern Ontario’s francophone communities. Bourgouin had been a vocal advocate for the transformation of the University of Sudbury into an independent francophone institution to fill the gap left by Laurentian’s cuts. Residents also raised concerns about the quality and availability of French-language schooling, health care, and government services, arguing that Ontario’s bilingual northeast was not receiving equitable treatment.

Representation and access for the riding’s remote communities on the James Bay coast was a persistent concern. Moosonee, Moose Factory, and the coastal Cree First Nations could only be reached by air or by the Ontario Northland Railway’s Polar Bear Express, which operates year-round from Cochrane. Residents of these communities felt disconnected from the political process, with candidates focusing their campaigns on the more accessible southern portion of the riding. Issues facing the coast included inadequate housing, limited health care access, food security challenges driven by the high cost of shipping goods to remote communities, and the ongoing impacts of climate change on traditional land-based activities.