The constituency of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution. It includes part of the City of Hamilton and encompasses the communities of Ancaster and Dundas.

Historically, the Hamilton area has been popular among immigrant groups, most notably those originating from Europe. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that Italians make up 12% of the district’s population. That translates into 13,140 residents of Italian heritage in the district of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.

Filomena Tassi, current MP, is seeking re-election for the Liberals. She has represented the riding since 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 with 46.5% of the vote. She beat out Conservative candidate Bert Laranjo who took 26.7% of the vote, followed by NDP with 17.7%.

This is the second time Tassi and Laranjo will face off in a general election. When contacted, Laranjo said he acknowledges that sense of community and small businesses are so important in the district and that many residents are still “struggling financially, mentally, and physically due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

In line with his party’s message, he added: “My focus will be in protecting the things that make our community great, addressing the sky-rocketing cost of living, ensuring that members of our community have access to the jobs and job training programs that they need, and ensuring that the federal government is investing in improving health and mental health care”.

Also in the race are candidates Roberto Henriquez for the NDP, Victoria Galea for the Greens and Dean Woods for the PPC.

According to the latest projections by 338Canada.com (September 1), which uses algorithms that take into account results of all major polls, the Liberals, at 41%, are ahead of the Conservatives by 13 points. The NDP, at 20%, trail the Conservatives by 8 points.

Other party candidates did not respond to our request for comment prior to deadline.