Lambton—Kent—Middlesex

Lambton—Kent—Middlesex had been held by Progressive Conservative Monte McNaughton since 2011, and by 2022 he was one of the most prominent members of Doug Ford’s cabinet, serving as Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. McNaughton had championed the Working for Workers Act, which included measures such as banning non-compete clauses and establishing right-to-disconnect policies for larger employers. The sprawling rural riding encompassed portions of Lambton County, Chatham-Kent, and Middlesex County, as well as Bkejwanong (Walpole Island First Nation) and Kettle and Stony Point First Nation.

As a solidly conservative riding anchored by small towns and agricultural communities, the seat was not considered competitive, though several challengers put their names forward to contest it.

Candidates

Monte McNaughton (Progressive Conservative) — Born in Newbury, Ontario, McNaughton began his political career as a town councillor at the age of twenty. He ran unsuccessfully for the PCs in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex in 2007 before winning the seat in 2011. He served as Minister of Infrastructure upon the PCs’ election in 2018 before being appointed Minister of Labour in 2019. A graduate of Westervelt College, he also completed executive programs at Ivey Business School.

Vanessa Benoit (NDP) — A library worker, singer-songwriter, and music editor from Alvinston. Benoit was active in her community, having served on the planning committee of the Alvinston Arts and Music Fest and the Friends of A.W. Campbell Park.

Bruce Baker (Liberal) — A graduate of Queen’s University in politics, philosophy and economics, Baker had worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors, including the technology industry and academic publishing.

David Barnwell ran for the New Blue Party, Wanda Dickey for the Green Party, Aaron Istvan Vegh for the Ontario Party, and Dean Eve for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party.

Local Issues

Rural healthcare access was a persistent concern in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex. Residents worried about the future of small-town hospitals and the difficulty of attracting and retaining physicians in rural communities. Protecting rural schools from closure was a related anxiety, as consolidation pressures threatened institutions that served as community anchors.

Agriculture and the cost of doing business were central economic issues. The riding’s economy depended heavily on farming, with Lambton County producing significant yields of corn, soybeans, winter wheat, and sugar beets. The greenhouse industry in Chatham-Kent, which accounted for roughly 10 percent of Ontario’s total greenhouse acreage, was expanding rapidly but required costly infrastructure upgrades. Farmers and small business owners complained about regulatory red tape and rising operating costs.

Energy pricing was another sore point for rural residents. Unfair delivery charges meant rural ratepayers paid more for the same amount of electricity as urban consumers, and mandatory time-of-use pricing particularly frustrated farmers who could not choose when to run equipment. Aging infrastructure across Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton added to the financial strain on municipalities already contending with demands for new housing and industrial development.