Here are the candidates running in Cardigan
Liberals have held Cardigan for over 30 years; the last non-Liberal MP was Pat Binns
This riding represents almost all of Kings County, stretching from Tracadie Bay and Scotchfort to East Point, from Souris down to Murray Harbour. Point Prim, Stratford and everywhere in between.
Liberal MP Lawrence MacAulay held this riding for 36 years, making him the longest-serving MP in the Island's history. MacAulay recently announced that he's retiring after the April 28 election.
Candidates in this riding are listed alphabetically by first name.
Adam Harding, People's Party of Canada
Born in Halifax, N.S., Adam Harding spent nine years in the Canadian Armed Forces before deciding to settle in Alliston, P.E.I., with his family in 2020.
He now works as the lead hand for the Georgetown and Cardigan maintenance shops with the Town of Three Rivers' public works department.
During his time in the military, he served as a supply technician on HMCS Toronto and later as a plumbing and heating technician at CFB Bagotville and CFB Halifax.
James Aylward, Conservative Party
James Aylward was the MLA for Stratford-Keppoch from 2011 to 2023. He was the leader of the provincial Progressive Conservatives from 2017 to 2018 and served as P.E.I.'s health minister during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aylward later became the Dennis King government's minister of transportation in 2021 before being removed from cabinet in 2022. He did not seek re-election in 2023.
Kent MacDonald, Liberal Party
Kent MacDonald is a seventh-generation dairy farmer from Little Pond. He's the first new candidate for the federal Liberals in the riding in nearly four decades.
MacDonald is a past director, vice-chair and chair of Dairy Farmers of P.E.I., and was a director and vice-chair of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture. He is the current president of Pondsedge Farms, his family's dairy and beef operation.
Lynne Thiele, New Democratic Party
Thiele, who lives in Stratford, is a former educator. She is active in social issues and runs a volunteer reading program, according to a release from the party.
Thiele ran unsuccessfully with the NDP for a provincial seat twice previously, and also represented the party in Cardigan for the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
Maria Rodriguez, Green Party
Originally from Venezuela, Rodriguez has lived on P.E.I. for the past 15 years. The Montague resident recently retired from a career as a manager of science policy and partnerships with Agriculture Canada.
She became active in the Green Party "due to deep concerns about climate change and the influence of the fossil fuel industry," according to a party release. She is a member of the Cardigan federal riding association and serves as the party's agriculture critic.
Wayne Phelan, Independent
Wayne Phelan says he is running as an Independent in Cardigan so that "I can ask questions on behalf of Islanders in Ottawa, without having my hand held by party influencers." He opposes any form of carbon tax and will "support parents when it comes to making the decisions about raising their children."
After studying business at UPEI, he moved to Japan, where he cofounded a P.E.I. pub. He and his family moved back to the Island and he founded P.E.I. Monitoring, a home security business. His Facebook page notes that he has survived cancer but had to have an arm amputated. Phelan was the Conservative nominee in Cardigan for the 2019 and 2021 election campaigns.