Nova Scotia Election: Victoria-The Lakes candidates

Quick take: This riding will be one to watch this election. Liberal MLA Pam Eyking is the incumbent. She is facing off against former MLA Keith Bain who she unseated in the 2013 election by a very slim margin.

READ MORE: All our Nova Scotia Election 2017 coverage

Candidates

Liberal: Eyking is the incumbent MLA. She was a backbench MLA in the Liberal government.  She was chair of the veterans affairs committee and most recently sat on the community services committee. Prior to being elected, she worked with her husband to grow a 40-acre farm into a 200-acre farm. She has received the Outstanding Young Farmers of Nova Scotia Award.

Progressive Conservative: Keith Bain was the MLA for Victoria-The Lakes from 2006 until 2013. He is chair of the worship committee of the Boularderie United Church Pastoral Charge and treasurer of the Boularderie Food Bank. Prior to being elected, Bain also served on the Victoria District School Board.

NDP: Lisa Bond is the NDP candidate for this riding.

Green: Adrianna Mackinnon is the Green candidate for this riding. 

Independent: Stewart MacLeod is running as an independent in this riding.

Riding background

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History: Eyking won the riding with 39 per cent of the vote, beating Bain by only 303 votes. The riding has gone to both the Liberals and PCs, though Bain held it for seven years since its creation in 2003. During a redistribution in 2003, the districts of Cape Breton-The Lakes and Victoria were combined.

Boundaries: The riding includes Victoria County and parts of Cape Breton County. It includes the communities of Point Aconi and Baddeck, and stretches to the north tip of the island. The Eskasoni and Wagmatcook First Nations are also found in the riding.

Demographics: The district is comprised of many rural communities, and includes many people working in the tourism, fishing and service sectors. Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and the Gaelic College are found in this riding.