Canada Votes 2025: Windsor West voters seek empathy, affordability, job security in this election

Jennifer La Grassa · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

Voters successful Windsor West who spoke with CBC Windsor astir their national predetermination concerns accidental the state is successful request of a change.  

There's been immoderate large investments successful Windsor West successful caller years, including the recently built Gordie Howe span — the 3rd planetary borderline crossing successful the riding — and designation of Ojibway arsenic a nationalist municipality park. The country besides includes the South Windsor and Sandwich Town neighbourhoods, which are location to the city's 2 large post-secondary campuses, the University of Windsor and St. Clair College. 

The riding has been an NDP stronghold for much than 2 decades. In 2002, NDP MP campaigner and incumbent Brian Masse was elected for the archetypal time. Since then, he's been re-elected 7 times. 

While Windsor West nonmigratory Avneet Dhami didn't accidental who she's voting for, she does deliberation that this clip around, Canadians are looking for a alteration successful leadership. 

"I deliberation the biggest contented for astir radical is that they don't similar the existent presumption quo ... and I would agree, I deliberation thing does request to change," said Dhami.

"The authorities has truthful overmuch powerfulness and they don't ever usage it for the payment of astir of us, it's ever for companies and corporations and not for radical similar you and me." 

In Sandwich Town, 32-year-old Hassan Charif said helium wants to spot action. 

"Hopefully this clip around, immoderate parties that's running, hopefully immoderate they say, they really mean and hopefully, if we bash elite them, they bash instrumentality everything they accidental they're going to do," helium said. 

Jobs, outgo of surviving are cardinal issues

In caller years, Windsor has had 1 of the highest unemployment rates of large cities successful Canada. Challenges uncovering enactment on with grounds ostentation has immoderate students and young radical successful the Windsor West riding wanting to spot a authorities that volition prioritize the occupation marketplace and a beardown economy. 

As a first-year registered applicable caregiver pupil astatine St. Clair College, Dhami said she wants to spot things go affordable again. 

"You spell to the market store and similar you look astatine nutrient and you think, 'I utilized to beryllium capable to spend that and present [I] can't,'" she said.  

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She says there needs to beryllium much resources dedicated to helping caller immigrants, similar lodging and healthcare. 

"They're lowering the magnitude of planetary students and immigration, but what astir the radical that are already here, right? What astir them?" 

Charif, who lives successful Windsor West, says lodging and homelessness are issues that helium wants to spot addressed. He said helium believes the outgo of surviving situation and employment aren't being talked astir enough. 

"I consciousness similar we're successful an system close present wherever things are similar truthful expensive, but radical are moving part-time jobs oregon hourly wage jobs and they're struggling to support up with that surviving paycheque to paycheque," helium said. 

For 28-year-old Nicholas Shepley, the Progressive Conservative Party are who helium feels politically aligned with. Shepley, who is astatine St. Clair College boosting his mathematics grades truthful that helium tin go a mechanic, says helium attended blimpish person Pierre Poilievre's Windsor rally. 

"Everything I've been proceeding astir what the Conservatives person been doing is making much and much sense," helium said. 

"Like physique much pipelines [and] axe the taxes truthful that homes aren't truthful expensive." 

'I privation to ballot with empathy'

At the University of Windsor, first-year biomedical subject pupil Ziyad Deen said occupation opportunities and the system are apical of mind. 

As idiosyncratic who identifies with the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Deen said they besides proceed to interest astir their rights. 

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"I don't privation to unit LGBT connected anybody, I conscionable privation them to person cognition and dainty america arsenic humans," they said.

"It's precise mislaid to ballot with empathy these days ... I privation to ballot with empathy for the colonisation right? I americium voting for everybody, right? So I would accidental see that erstwhile voting." 

For precocious retired nonmigratory Utanu Mafandala, her priorities look a small different. Mafandala conscionable moved to Windsor successful January, but she's spent decades surviving successful Montreal and Toronto. 

She says transgression and healthcare are 2 apical concerns for her. 

Mafandala said that portion astatine archetypal she thought having a alteration of authorities would beryllium bully for the country, escalating tensions with the United States and each the tariff speech person her reasoning "it's amended if we tin conscionable support the continuity of the authorities who is present successful place." 

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But, she says she didn't hold with galore of erstwhile premier minister Justin Trudeau's policies and thought his authorities didn't prioritize the wellbeing of Canadians. 

Out of this election, she anticipation the adjacent authorities takes "care of the radical present successful the state more, amended the concern of the citizens here." 

What matters to you?

CBC Windsor wants to perceive from voters successful our portion astir their apical priorities for this election. 

Fill retired the signifier beneath to archer america what you think: