The riding of Huron-Bruce as it now stands was created in 1979.
The predominantly rural riding was held by the Conservatives until Paul Steckle won the riding for the Liberals 1988. Steckle was defeated by Conservative and current incumbent Ben Lobb in 2008.
Lobb is being challenged by Liberal Allan Thompson, a former reporter and University professor in Ottawa, NDP candidate Gerard Creces, a former reporter in Clinton and Goderich and Ripley resident Jutta Splettstoesser for the Green Party.
The Trans Pacific Partnership held the spotlight at the all-candidates meeting hosted by the Huron Federation of Agriculture in Holmesville. All four candidates agreed that trade was a good thing for Canada but there was some concern that Supply Management was being sacrificed.
Lobb argued that the Tories had already negotiated several trade agreements without sacrificing supply management and maintained we were better off getting into the agreement now on our terms than waiting five years and having to accept someone else's terms.
Thompson commented the negotiations were too secretive and farmers don't know what they're being asked to give up.
Creces agrees Canadian agriculture needs trade but adds rather than shipping resources to other countries we should be adding value here and shipping finished products.
Splettstoesser supported the agreement in principal but also expressed concerns about supply management.
The TPP was still a hot topic at the all-candidates meeting a couple of weeks later in Goderich hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce.
According to Elections Canada, there are 79,533 eligible voters in the riding.
Polls close at 9:30pm.
