The voters of Windsor-West seem to be a loyal bunch with only two people holding the seat in the last 58 years.
This election, the major match-up in Winsdor-West is once again between incumbent Brian Masse for the NDP and Liberal candidate Sandra Pupatello.
In the 2019 election, Masse beat out Pupatello by just over 2,000 votes to win his sixth term in office. Masse has held the seat in Windsor-West since 2002. Prior to that, Liberal Herb Gray held the riding over 12 consecutive elections.
Other candidates vying for the seat this election include Matthew Giancola for the People’s Party of Canada, Anthony Orlando for the Conservative Party of Canada, and Margaret Villamizar for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada.
According to Elections Canada, there are 91,666 registered voters in the district. In the last federal election, there was a 55.3 per cent turnout.
Below, readers will find a quick look at each of the candidates and links to their party platforms and social media pages.
NDP incumbent in Windsor-West, Brian Masse. (Photo courtesy of www.brianmasse.ndp.ca)
NDP candidate Brian Masse:
Masse is the longest-serving NDP MP, having held the seat in Windsor-West since 2002. During his time in parliament, Masse has been the critic for innovation, science and economic development, critic for the Great Lakes and caucus chair. Prior to being elected as a member of parliament, Masse also sat on Windsor City Council.
The NDP has promised to make everyday life more affordable by delivering a national prescription drug plan, providing an affordable & reliable telecom service and ending interest on student loans. The party has also made a care guarantee for seniors living in their homes and in long-term care and intends on introducing a national school nutrition program.
Find out more about Masse and the NDP platform on his website. Masse can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Sandra Pupatello, Liberal candidate for Windsor West. Photo courtesy Sandra Pupatello/Facebook.
Liberal Party of Canada candidate Sandra Pupatello:
This is the second time Pupatello is running for the Liberals in Windsor-West. She represented Windsor as a Member of Provincial Parliament for 16 years. She served most of her years in Cabinet as Minister of Industry and Trade. After stepping down from provincial politics Pupatello worked in the private sector as a consultant.
The Liberal Party has promised to create a $10 a day child care program, to build more homes to help the housing crisis across the county, and hire 50,000 PSWs and raise their wages to $25 an hour.
You can learn more about Pupatello and the Liberal Party platform on her website. She can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Anthony Orlando, PC candidate for Windsor West. Photo courtesy Anthony Orlando/Facebook.
Conservative Party of Canada candidate Anthony Orlando:
In his first foray into politics, Orlando is running for the Conservative Party of Canada. He has lived in Windsor-West for 30 years where he owned and managed a business.
The Conservative Party of Canada has promised to support small businesses along Canada’s main streets, balance the budget, and bolster Canadian supply streams.
In the last federal election, the Conservative’s candidate, Henry Lau, received 19.1 per cent of the vote.
Orlando’s website can be found here. He can also be found on Facebook.
Windsor West candidate Matthew Giancola of the People's Party of Canada. Photo from Matt Giancola PPC/Facebook.
People's Party of Canada candidate Matt Giancola:
This time around Matt Giancola is running for the People’s Party of Canada.
In the last federal election, Darryl Burrell ran for the party and picked up 1.8 per cent of the vote.
The People’s Party of Canada platform includes “ending official multiculturalism and preserving Canadian values and culture,” cooling the real estate market by stopping funding to social housing, and pulling out of the Paris Accord and abandoning “unrealistic greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.”
To find out more about the People’s Party of Canada platform click here. Giancola can also be found on Twitter.
Margaret Villamizar, Marxist-Leninist candidate in Windsor West. (Photo courtesy of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada)
Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada candidate Margaret Villamizar:
Margaret Villamizar is once again running for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada. Villamizar also ran in the 2019 election and captured 76 votes or 0.1 per cent of all of the ballots cast in Windsor-West. She is one of 36 candidates running for the Communist Party of Canada.
“The approach is a practical rejection of an obsolete process,” says Party Leader Anna Di Carlo. “The MLPC and its candidates create new political arrangements to replace those of the crisis-ridden party-dominated system. They call on Canadians to reject the role given to them by the political process to ‘pick a side’ and vote for candidates and agenda they do not select and over which they cannot exercise control.”
Find out more about the Marxist-Leninist Party on its website.
The federal election is on September 20, 2021. Advanced voting starts on September 10, 2021. To find out where to vote visit the Elections Canada website.
