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ngtimes.bsky.social May 1, 2025
Vol. 13 No. 16
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May 1, 2025
by David Shanahan The election in LeedsGrenville-Thousand Islands-Rideau Lakes was an unusually close one this time around. Across the country, results were showing a Liberal surge at the expense of the NDP and the Greens, and in Quebec at the expense of the Bloc. This riding reflected that to a large extent, with the Conservatives holding on to their traditional vote, while the NDP and Greens dropped. Michael Barrett had a much closer race than he may have expected, with Lorna Jean Edmonds showing strongly in a riding that has the reputation of being a very safe Conservative seat. The Conservatives polled
50.2% this time, compared to 50.5% in 2021, while the Liberals went from 25.2% in 2021 to an impressive 44.2% this time. Figures show the NDP going from 15% in 2021 to just 3.5%, and the Greens dropped from 3.6% to 1.2% in 2025. The biggest fall was with the PPC, which was almost completely ignored by the electorate. After taking 5.7% in 2021, out-polling the Greens, the PPC received less than 1% this time around. Turn-out in LeedsGrenville-Thousand Islands-Rideau Lakes was almost 73% this time, with 66,018 of 90,557 registered electors casting their ballots across the riding.
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This is a positive development in elections, where low voter engagement has often been seen as a sign of apathy about the entire democratic process. There has been a feeling that a vote for anyone other than the Conservatives would be wasted. As data published in last week's Times indicated, Liberals have had a very poor record here, with the Conservatives, under various names, holding the seat in all but 24 of the 158 years since Confederation. Whether this is a oneoff situation, given the extraordinary context of the 2025 campaign, or if it indicates a more permanent shift in voter preferences won't be seen for some
time. The national results of the contest this time may result in a short-lived Parliament with another election in the not too distant future. Voters may have been motivated to get out and vote this time in a way that won't be true again, or it may be that those who "lent" their vote to the Liberals, and those who voted for the first time, may be encouraged by the close result this week to carry their enthusiasm through to future contests. One thing that did appear this time that hasn't been seen as much in the past was the number of Liberal signs around North Grenville. That, in itself, may be a sign of things to come. Time will tell.
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