Liberal incumbent Bob Nault won in 2015 by a slim margin with 35.5 per cent of the vote over his NDP opponent and former provincial MPP Howard Hampton, who had 33.8 per cent. Nault had served until 2004 as the Liberal candidate in the former riding of Kenora-Rainy River but left politics after that. Nault returned to federal politics for the 2015 election.

Candidates

Liberals: Bob Nault (Incumbent)
Conservatives: Eric Melillo
NDP: Rudy Turtle
Green: Kirsi Ralko
PPC: Michael Di Pasquale

The riding spans a large swath of northwestern Ontario due to the low population density. In the east the riding abuts the provincial border with Manitoba and reaches all the way north to Hudson’s Bay. The south east border follows the Albany river and the southwest border ends at the Lake of the Woods.

The riding is the largest by land mass but the smallest by population covering 321,741 sq km with only 42,548 eligible voters.

The riding of Kenora was formed from the previous Kenora-Rainy River riding in 2004. Barring 2008 – 2015, when Greg Rickford, now a provincial MPP for the same riding held the seat for the Conservatives, the riding has been Liberal throughout its history.

Source: Read Full Article