Anatomy
of a campaign tour
Anatomy of a campaign tour
For weeks, party leaders have been criss-crossing Canada’s most populous province in a bid to get the most votes on June 12. Where they’ve been – and where they haven’t – says a lot about where the parties think they can win.
Total visits per riding
If you live in downtown Toronto, Niagara Falls, Kitchener, Peterborough or Ottawa, you’ve likely had a chance to see one of the three party leaders in action. If you live somewhere else, you’re probably out of luck. Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath have been spending most of their time on the campaign trail in the densely populated Greater Toronto Area or one of the cities in southwestern Ontario. Both areas have been fertile ground for Liberals in the past decade, but opposition parties have been chipping away at Grit support there.
Eastern Ontario has gotten far less attention, with only occasional visits to Ottawa – where there are many swing Liberal-Tory ridings in play. Party leaders have ventured to the north only three times – once by Ms. Wynne over three days, and twice by Ms. Horwath. The most-visited riding, Trinity-Spadina in downtown Toronto, is the site of a hotly contest federal by-election. It also contains numerous conference centres that politicians often make speeches at, as well as the University of Toronto and the Bay Street financial district.
Per-party campaign movement
The Globe and Mail has tracked the party leaders’ public events since the writ dropped on May 7. We’ve counted individual events, which often feature local candidates, and public speeches. We have not included media interviews, which can often be broadcast or read in multiple ridings, announcements at Queen’s Park, or events closed to the public and reporters.
Data includes events up until June 9. Markers are accurate down to the city level.