Canada Votes 2025: Windsor West voters seek empathy, affordability, job security in this election
Windsor West has been an NDP stronghold for decades
Voters in Windsor West who spoke with CBC Windsor about their federal election concerns say the country is in need of a change.
There's been some major investments in Windsor West in recent years, including the newly built Gordie Howe bridge — the third international border crossing in the riding — and designation of Ojibway as a national urban park. The area also includes the South Windsor and Sandwich Town neighbourhoods, which are home to the city's two major post-secondary campuses, the University of Windsor and St. Clair College.
The riding has been an NDP stronghold for more than two decades. In 2002, NDP MP candidate and incumbent Brian Masse was elected for the first time. Since then, he's been re-elected seven times.
While Windsor West resident Avneet Dhami didn't say who she's voting for, she does think that this time around, Canadians are looking for a change in leadership.
"I think the biggest issue for most people is that they don't like the current status quo ... and I would agree, I think something does need to change," said Dhami.
"The government has so much power and they don't ever use it for the benefit of most of us, it's always for companies and corporations and not for people like you and me."
In Sandwich Town, 32-year-old Hassan Charif said he wants to see action.
"Hopefully this time around, whatever parties that's running, hopefully whatever they say, they actually mean and hopefully, if we do elect them, they do implement everything they say they're going to do," he said.
Jobs, cost of living are key issues
In recent years, Windsor has had one of the highest unemployment rates of big cities in Canada. Challenges finding work along with record inflation has some students and young people in the Windsor West riding wanting to see a government that will prioritize the job market and a strong economy.
As a first-year registered practical nurse student at St. Clair College, Dhami said she wants to see things become affordable again.
"You go to the grocery store and like you look at produce and you think, 'I used to be able to afford that and now [I] can't,'" she said.
She says there needs to be more resources dedicated to helping new immigrants, like housing and healthcare.
"They're lowering the amount of international students and immigration, but what about the people that are already here, right? What about them?"
Charif, who lives in Windsor West, says housing and homelessness are issues that he wants to see addressed. He said he believes the cost of living crisis and employment aren't being talked about enough.
"I feel like we're in an economy right now where things are like so expensive, but people are working part-time jobs or hourly pay jobs and they're struggling to keep up with that living paycheque to paycheque," he said.
For 28-year-old Nicholas Shepley, the Conservative Party is who he feels politically aligned with. Shepley, who is at St. Clair College boosting his math grades so that he can become a mechanic, says he attended conservative leader Pierre Poilievre's Windsor rally.
"Everything I've been hearing about what the Conservatives have been doing is making more and more sense," he said.
"Like build more pipelines [and] axe the taxes so that homes aren't so expensive."
'I want to vote with empathy'
At the University of Windsor, first-year biomedical science student Ziyad Deen said job opportunities and the economy are top of mind.
As someone who identifies with the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Deen said they also continue to worry about their rights.
"I don't want to force LGBT on anybody, I just want them to have knowledge and treat us as humans," they said.
"It's very lost to vote with empathy these days ... I want to vote with empathy for the population right? I am voting for everybody, right? So I would say consider that when voting."
For recently retired resident Utanu Mafandala, her priorities look a little different. Mafandala just moved to Windsor in January, but she's spent decades living in Montreal and Toronto.
She says crime and healthcare are two top concerns for her.
Mafandala said that while at first she thought having a change of government would be good for the country, escalating tensions with the United States and all the tariff talk have her thinking "it's better if we can just keep the continuity of the government who is now in place."
But, she says she didn't agree with many of former prime minister Justin Trudeau's policies and thought his government didn't prioritize the wellbeing of Canadians.
Out of this election, she hope the next government takes "care of the people here in the country more, improve the situation of the citizens here."
There are seven candidates running in the riding of Windsor West. They are:
- Louay Ahmad — Green Party of Canada
- Jacob Bezaire — People's Party of Canada
- Harbinder Gill — Conservative Party of Canada
- Joey Markham — Communist Party of Canada
- Brian Masse — New Democratic Party (incumbent)
- Richard Pollock — Liberal Party of Canada
- Margaret Villamizar — Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada
What matters to you?
CBC Windsor wants to hear from voters in our region about their top priorities for this election.
Fill out the form below to tell us what you think:
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