McMaster professor on why Poilievre and Singh stopped in Hamilton so early in the campaign
Political sciences professor says both Singh and Poilievre could be trying to take Hamilton Mountain
Visits to Hamilton by the leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party (NDP) during the first week of the federal election campaign, highlight the importance of the area to the parties, says McMaster University politics Prof. Peter Graefe.
Graefe told CBC Hamilton that in the early days of a campaign, leaders are more likely to visit seats that are particularly important.
"So, which ones are they trying to protect? Which ones are they trying to grow?" Graefe said.
Election day is April 28.
Jagmeet Singh, the NDP Leader, visited the Hamilton Mountain riding Tuesday evening to hold a campaign office opening for candidate Monique Taylor, while Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Leader, spoke to a crowd of around 4,500 people on a factory floor in Stoney Creek on Tuesday night.
"Clearly [Singh] wants to hold on to the one seat that he has in the city — Hamilton Centre," Graefe said.
"But I think also he sees a possibility if he's going to expand his caucus in Ottawa, what are the priority seats? Well, certainly one of the top ones would be Hamilton Mountain."
The riding was held by the NDP from 2006 until 2021, when then MP Scott Duvall said he would not seek reelection. Former journalist Lisa Hepfner won for the Liberals.
Provincially, the seat was held by Taylor since 2011. She announced in late 2024 she would not seek reelection provincially, to run federally. In February, the Conservatives won the Hamilton Mountain provincial seat for the first time in 30 years.
Taylor and Hepfner are the only candidates from major parties announced so far for Hamilton Mountain.
"For [Singh], it's an opportunity to shore up an existing seat and presumably make a play for a seat that the NDP had held until recently," said Graefe.
Singh was also in Hamilton on Wednesday. First at Sackville Hill Seniors Recreation Centre where he spoke about his plan to raise the basic personal amount, the threshold under which Canadians do not pay tax, from $16,129 up to $19,500 and to eliminate the GST on essentials such as energy, internet and mobile phone bills.
He then made a stop at local pizza restaurant Cowabunga on James Street North.
Hamilton a good backdrop for industrial workers
For Poilievre, Graefe said he might want to reach for the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek (HESC) seat.
Speaking to the crowd on Tuesday night, he talked about his plan to cut taxes on things like home building and energy, "that will incentivise our economy to be strong again."
The current incumbent in HESC is Liberal Chad Collins, while the only other candidate announced so far is Conservative Ned Kuruc.
"He might also make a play on Hamilton Mountain where the Conservatives just elected a member in the last provincial election," said Graefe.
Another reason, Graefe said, that leaders might want to visit a city is for a backdrop "for whatever the theme of the day is."
"Mr. Poilievre seems really drawn to backdrops that are related to industrial workers and industrial work in an attempt to portray himself as some kind of champion of the working class," said Graefe.
"Hamilton is often used that way by leaders of different parties."
WATCH | Liberal leader Mark Carney speaks to workers at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton
Another example of this, Graefe said, was Liberal Leader Mark Carney's visit to Hamilton steelmaker ArcelorMittal Dofasco on March 12, where he spoke with workers there about the tariffs on Canadian steel.
"In Hamilton, going out to vote is going to matter. I think if these party leaders are coming here, it's because they feel that these ridings can go different ways," said Graefe.
"It will be interesting to see what the parties are thinking about, where they might be competitive based on the leaders who come in."
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