Northwestern Ontario ridings will be hotspots in federal election: analyst

This year's federal election race will likely get quite competitive in northwestern Ontario, a Thunder Bay political analyst says.

LakeheadUniversity professorLaurePaquettesaid a visit from NDP Leader Tom Mulcairearlier this summer shows the party's recognize the tight races in the region.

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"Mr. Mulcair has been campaigning hard already, before the election was launched," Paquette said."He [came] to Thunder Bay the weekend before the election was called ... because he was seeking to protect his riding in Thunder Bay-Atikokan."

That riding is held by John Rafferty.

The NDP won the other Thunder Bay riding in the last election with candidateBruce Hyer, who left the NDP to become a member of the Green Party MP.

"The [NDP is] going to run very hard in Thunder Bay-Superior North," Paquette said.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May visited the city on Friday and attended the Red Rock Folk Festival on the weekend.

Tricky timing?

PaquettesaidStephen Harper is likely to pay a visit to the Kenora riding.

"The outgoing MP is a Conservative and both other parties are running heavy hitters," Paquette said.

Veteran politicianHoward Hampton is on the ticket for the NDP and formerIndian Affairs Bob Nault is running for the Liberals.

"It's going to be one hard-fought, interesting race in Kenora," she said.

The 2015 federal election campaign has been billed as the longest campaign in Canada since 1872, which Paquettesaid could help the Conservative cause.

"Mr. Harper launched a long campaign so his competition would have more of chance to make mistakes or run out of money," Paquette said.

View a map of the leaders' movements so far, including in the months leading up to the campaign.