CANDIDATE TRACKER: Peel a key battleground in high-stakes federal election

With a snap campaign hurtling voters to the April 28th election, Peel will garner plenty of attention. Twelve seats in Brampton and Mississauga are in play and both the Liberals and Conservatives have their eyes on them, as the parties focus on key regions across the country where the balance of power will be decided. Unlike Liberal, NDP, Bloc Québécois or Conservative strongholds, the two rapidly evolving cities have shown for decades that no one spot on the political spectrum dominates the mood in Peel.

In 2015, the Liberals continued a trend in Peel that had seen ridings flip for years, and with Justin Trudeau leading the way, a red wave changed every seat in the two cities, where voters had delivered a Conservative sweep in the previous election. 

The fluid nature of Peel’s federal political representation has made it one of the most heavily visited regions in Canada during past federal elections, with party leaders arriving in the most vote-rich part of the vote-rich 905 as many as five times during one campaign. This year, as the population across the two cities continues to boom, the parties will be competing for an extra seat, after Brampton’s growth took the city’s most recent electoral map from five to six ridings, matching the number in neighbouring Mississauga. 

Mark Carney’s early-election call has triggered a 36-day campaign that is sure to focus on tensions created by U.S. President Donald Trump’s disturbing rhetoric about taking control of Canada, with potentially crippling tariffs sparking voter anxieties and anger around affordability, identity and national security. 

In two cities where each riding was represented by a Liberal after the last election, Mississauga Centre will not be represented by Omar Alghabra, the popular local former transportation minister who announced in 2023 he will not be running for re-election. 

This election will mark the first time Brampton voters will head to the polls with new electoral boundaries following a recent redistribution triggered by population growth. The new riding, Brampton—Chinguacousy Park, was created to balance out Brampton West, which had the highest population of any riding in Ontario.

The redistribution also led to the creation of Brampton North—Caledon, combining parts of Brampton’s northern edge with fast-growing areas in the south of Caledon, where many former Brampton residents have moved over the last decade. The move reflects a staggering 25 percent population increase in the Brampton-Caledon area between 2011 and 2021.

After launching his campaign in Gatineau on Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a stop in Brampton Monday morning, where he held a press conference to unveil the key planks of his platform.

Here is a look at the candidates in the GTA’s second and third largest cities.

Mississauga—Streetsville

CPC: Sue McFadden

GR: Christopher Hill

LIB: Rechie Valdez (I) 

NDP: Bushra Asghar 

Rechie Valdez is the Liberal incumbent vying to keep the Liberal stronghold in Mississauga — Streetsville. Elected in 2021, Valdez previously served as minister of small business and has also been a member of various parliamentary committees and associations, including the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association. She was recently briefly appointed chief government whip–a position that oversees and organizes MP contributions to parliamentary business–before Parliament was dissolved by Carney to trigger the election.

Longtime Mississauga Councillor Sue McFadden is the Conservative candidate for the riding. She has represented Ward 10 since 2006 and was the Ward 9/10 trustee for the Peel District School Board prior to that. She announced her candidacy for the Party in early 2024 and has had more than a year to organize her campaign against the popular Liberal incumbent. 

Bushra Asghar is running for the NDP after holding various leadership roles, including as chief of staff at a Silicon Valley tech startup. Asghar was also previously involved in election organizing, working on campaigns to increase youth voter turnout and has supported grassroots efforts with Climate Justice Toronto, and 350Canada. 

The Green Party is represented by Christopher Hill, who has been a Streetsville resident for more than 30 years. He previously ran federally for the Greens in the Mississauga—Streetsville riding in three elections — 2011, 2015 and 2019 — and was the provincial Green Party candidate in the recent election. 

Mississauga—Malton

CPC: Jaspreet Sandhu

GR: ?

LIB: Iqwinder Gaheer (I) 

NDP: Inderjeetsingh Ailsinghani

Iqwinder Gaheer is the Liberal incumbent for Mississauga — Malton, looking to secure his position for a second term after taking over in 2021 following the departure of Navdeep Bains. During his time in office he has been a member of several parliamentary bodies, representing the diverse voices of his constituency. Most recently, he was elected chair of the standing committee on public safety and national security in November, a role he held until Parliament was prorogued in January.

Inderjeetsingh Ailsinghani is the NDP candidate and has served as a business analyst and product manager in the fintech industry for 18 years. He previously volunteered with Global Medics for COVID-19 vaccination efforts and mentored newcomers with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. 

Jaspreet Sandhu is running for the Conservatives. She previously ran for council in Woodstock in the 2022 municipal election and was on the board of directors for Woodstock Hospital, and sat on the Woodstock fire advisory committee. She also worked with Woodstock Police as a member of its anti-racism advisory committee.

No Green candidate has been named in the riding. 

Mississauga—Lakeshore

CPC: Tom Ellard

GR: Mary Kidnew

LIB: Charles Sousa (I) 

NDP: ?

Liberal incumbent Charles Sousa is vying to represent the Mississauga—Lakeshore riding after winning a 2022 by-election. He was later appointed as Parliamentary secretary to the ministry of public services and procurement. Prior to moving to federal politics, he served the area provincially for over a decade from 2007 to 2018, including as Ontario’s minister of finance from 2013 to 2018. 

Tom Ellard is the Conservative candidate. He is a member of the Project Management Institute and a veteran who served as an infantry officer in the 48th Highlanders of Canada. He previously attended the University of Toronto for his undergraduate degree and holds a Master of Arts from the Royal Military College of Canada. 

Mary Kidnew is the Green Party candidate, and previously ran against Sousa in the 2022 by-election. She is the founder of the Mississauga—Lakeshore Green Party Electoral District Association (EDA), a community advocate and a past president of the Hillcrest Ratepayers Association. 

No NDP candidate has been named. 

Mississauga Centre

CPC: Muhammed Ishaq

GR: ?

LIB: Fares Al Soud

NDP: ?

Fares Al Soud steps in for the Liberals after Omar Alghabra announced he would not be seeking re-election. According to his LinkedIN, Al Soud has formerly held roles as policy advisor and interim director of policy for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as various jobs on Parliament Hill in the former prime minister's office as well as Transport Canada from January 2022 to August 2023, when Alghabra was transport minister.

Muhammed Ishaq is running for the Conservatives but no information is available on the candidate website. 

No NDP or Green Party candidate has been named.

Mississauga East—Cooksville

CPC: Nita Kang

GR: ?

LIB: Peter Fonseca (I) 

NDP: Khawar Hussain

Liberal Peter Fonseca will be seeking re-election for another term after winning his Mississauga East—Cooksville seat in 2015. He previously sat on the foreign affairs and international development committee and co-chaired the subcommittee on international human rights. Prior to moving to federal politics a decade ago, Fonseca served as an MPP at Queen’s Park between 2003 and 2011.

Nita Kang is the Conservative candidate. She is an active Rotarian, a member of 100 Women Who Care Mississauga, and a supporter of the Royal Canadian Legion. She also has 15 years of experience working in real estate.

NDP candidate Khawar Hussain has a degree from Toronto Metropolitan University and has worked for 14 years in the public relations and food industries, and now works as a public health inspector. 

No Green Party candidate has been named. 

Mississauga—Erin Mills

CPC: Milad Mikael

GR: ?

LIB: Iqra Khalid (I) 

NDP: Ehab Mustapha 

Iqra Khalid is the Liberal incumbent in Mississauga—Erin Mills, representing the area since 2015. She has held several positions on Parliament Hill, most recently as the Parliamentary secretary to the revenue minister, and sat on the access to information committee and was vice-chair of the public accounts committee. She also previously served on the international human rights subcommittee, the top-secret national security and intelligence committee of Parliamentarians, and was chair of the justice committee and the women’s caucus. 

Milad Mikael is the Conservative candidate, who also ran for the Party in 2019. According to his website, he was the national outreach coordinator in Poilievre's leadership campaign. He currently owns and manages an immigration consulting business and was previously director in an international corporation, where he oversaw infrastructure projects.

Ehab Mustapha is representing the NDP and studied global affairs and policy at the Munk School at the University of Toronto. He has worked as an advisor to multinational and startup companies for the last decade, helping them develop products and services. 

No Green Party candidate has been named. 

Brampton West

CPC:?

GR:?

LIB: Kamal Khera (I)

NDP:?

In Brampton West, Liberal incumbent Kamal Khera is seeking reelection, hoping to hold onto the seat she first won in 2015. After early controversies over a trip to Africa covered by a private company and violating pandemic travel guidelines she was given minor roles including seniors’ minister and diversity minister, before briefly holding the role of health minister under Carney’s short time as PM. She has served on a number of committees including public safety, finance and foreign affairs. 

The Conservatives, NDP and Green Party have not yet named a candidate in the riding.

Brampton Centre

CPC:?

GR:?

LIB: Amandeep Sodhi 

NDP: ?

Liberal newcomer Amandeep Sodhi is seeking election for the first time in a riding previously held by fellow Liberal Shafqat Ali, who was elected in 2021. A second-generation Canadian raised in Brampton, Sodhi brings a background in political science, law and public policy from the University of Western Ontario and is campaigning on a platform focussed on affordable housing, healthcare, climate action and advocacy for young voters. 

The Conservatives, NDP, and Green Party have yet to announce their candidates.

Brampton East

CPC: Bob Dosanjh Singh

GR: ?

LIB: Maninder Sidhu (I)

NDP: ?

Liberal incumbent Maninder Sidhu entered politics without prior experience and faced scrutiny over past claims about charitable work. He has been largely silent as an MP despite holding roles as Parliamentary secretary to both the foreign affairs and international development ministers. He has sat on several committees, including natural resources, transport and infrastructure, and the subcommittee on international human rights. 

Conservative Bob Dosanjh Singh, a long-time Brampton resident, business owner and Punjabi-language media personality previously ran for mayor. He moved to Canada in 1988 and founded AVP Studios and Sanjha Punjab Broadcasting, building a profile in the community through broadcasting and advocacy. 

The NDP and Green Party have not yet named a candidate.

Brampton South

CPC: Sukhdeep Kang

GR: ?

LIB: Sonia Sidhu (I)

NDP: ?

Liberal incumbent Sonia Sidhu was first elected in 2015 and previously pushed Parliamentary action to create diabetes awareness. She sat on the status of women committee and the health committee. 

Sukhdeep Kang, a former police officer who had a falling out with Peel’s force, is the Conservative candidate. Since parting ways with Peel Police she has worked with a local insurance business.

The NDP and Green Party have not yet named a candidate.

Brampton North—Caledon

CPC:?

GR:?

LIB: Ruby Sahota (I)

NDP:?

With areas of south Caledon now merged with the former Brampton North, the newly formed riding will see its first MP. Liberal Ruby Sahota, a lawyer who has served many of the same constituents as Brampton North MP since 2015 and is widely regarded as the face of the Party in Brampton, is seeking re-election. She has been the most active federal representative in the city, often vocally advocating for Brampton causes in her riding and in Parliament. Sahota has previously held prominent roles including democratic institutions minister and minister of economic development for southern Ontario. She also served as the powerful chief government whip and sat on several key committees, including justice and human rights, foreign affairs and public safety and national security. She has sat on almost two dozen committees, subcommittees and other Parliamentary bodies while chairing five of them. 

The Conservatives, NDP and Greens have not named a candidate.

Brampton—Chinguacousy Park

CPC: Tim Iqbal

GR: ?

LIB: Shafqat Ali

NDP: ?

The newly formed riding of Brampton—Chinguacousy Park brings the city’s total to six. Liberal Shafqat Ali, who previously represented Brampton Centre, is the Party’s candidate. After winning his seat in 2021, Ali drew national attention in 2022 for an incident involving the inappropriate use of House of Commons facilities during a virtual session. He has had limited exposure in Parliament, serving on the environment and immigration committees. 

Tim Iqbal, a long-time Brampton resident, is the Conservative candidate. He has worked for Canada Life, Spin Master, and the United Nations—and has been active in local politics since 2009, receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

The NDP and Green Party do not have a candidate yet.

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