The Political RecordFederal electoral districtsNo. 12002Nova Scotia

Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish

Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish is a federal riding in Nova Scotia. Jaime Battiste (Liberal, first elected to the House in 2019) represents Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish. Jaime Battiste (Liberal) held Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish for the Liberals in the 2025 election by 4,038 votes (8.4 points), with 51.6% of the vote. Allan MacMaster (Conservative) was second with 43.2%, on a turnout of 75.1% of 64,665 electors. Member as of 2026-11-01.

Fig. 1 — Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish on the board, 2023 boundaries; the ridings next door as the House holds them on 2026-11-01. Open it on the board →

Who represents Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish

Jaime Battiste's piece from the board. Illustration after the official portrait © House of Commons.

Jaime Battiste

Member of Parliament for Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish

Liberal

MP since 2019-10-21 · 3 terms

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee
Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure

57 speeches in the 45th Parliament, most often on Indigenous Affairs.

Contact and office · House of Commons →

The 2025 result: Liberal hold

Share of the valid votes by candidate, Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, April 28, 2025

Shares of the 48,278 valid votes; a candidate under 1% is counted with the others. Source: Elections Canada, official voting results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Jaime Battiste	Liberal	24,908	51.6%
Allan MacMaster	Conservative	20,870	43.2%
Joanna Clark	New Democratic	1,930	4.0%
Others (2)		570	1.2%

Jaime Battiste (Liberal) won Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish on April 28, 2025 with 24,908 votes, 51.6% of the 48,278 valid votes. Allan MacMaster (Conservative) was second with 20,870 (43.2%), 4,038 votes and 8.4 points behind.

Of the 48,278 valid votes, Jaime Battiste (Liberal) took 51.6%, Allan MacMaster (Conservative) 43.2% and Joanna Clark (New Democratic) 4.0%; the 2 other candidates took 1.2% together. Turnout was 75.1% of 64,665 electors: 48,566 ballots cast, 48,278 of them valid, for 5 candidates.

Since 2021

Against the 2021 result on these boundaries, the Liberals are up 6.6 (45.0% to 51.6%), the Conservatives up 8.4 (34.8% to 43.2%) and the New Democrats down 10.6 (14.6% to 4.0%), in points of the valid votes.

2021 is Elections Canada's transposition of that election onto the 2023 boundaries, not an election held on these lines.

Since 2004: usually Liberal

The party first in Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish at each general election, 2004 to 2025, on today's boundaries

2004Liberal46.1%by 20.1 points over the New Democrats
2006Liberal45.0%by 18.0 points over the Conservatives
2008Liberal36.0%by 7.3 points over the Conservatives
2011changed handsConservative39.1%by 2.4 points over the Liberals
2015changed handsLiberal71.4%by 55.9 points over the Conservatives
2019Liberal38.4%by 6.3 points over the Conservatives
2021Liberal45.0%by 10.2 points over the Conservatives
2025Liberal51.6%by 8.4 points over the Conservatives

Each election carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate to 2019, Elections Canada's transposition for 2021, the official result for 2025. Parties are counted as they ran.

The figures

Year	First	Share	Second	Margin (pts)	Basis
2004	Liberal	46.1%	New Democratic	20.1	carried, our estimate
2006	Liberal	45.0%	Conservative	18.0	carried, our estimate
2008	Liberal	36.0%	Conservative	7.3	carried, our estimate
2011	Conservative	39.1%	Liberal	2.4	carried, our estimate
2015	Liberal	71.4%	Conservative	55.9	carried, our estimate
2019	Liberal	38.4%	Conservative	6.3	carried, our estimate
2021	Liberal	45.0%	Conservative	10.2	transposed by Elections Canada
2025	Liberal	51.6%	Conservative	8.4	official result

The Liberals were first here at seven of the eight general elections from 2004 to 2025; the Conservatives were first in 2011. In 2025 the Liberals took 51.6% of the vote here, 6.1 points above their average of 45.5% at the seven general elections from 2004 to 2021.

On today's boundaries the Liberals were first here in 2004 (46.1%), 2006 (45.0%), 2008 (36.0%), 2015 (71.4%), 2019 (38.4%), 2021 (45.0%) and 2025 (51.6%) and the Conservatives in 2011 (39.1%), each with the share of the valid votes shown.

A stronghold is a party first at every general election since 2004, by an average of 20 points or more over the next party; held, first at every one; usually, first at all but one. By-elections are not counted. By this rule 83 of the 343 ridings are usually one party's. The results before 2021 are carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate, from the older boundaries of Taylor, Lucas, Kirby and Hewitt and the results in Sevi's "Who Runs?". 2021 is Elections Canada's transposition, and 2025 the official result.

Before 2025

2021 Liberal · Mike Kelloway, by 4,483 votes (11.4 pts)
2019 Liberal · Mike Kelloway, by 1,873 votes (4.4 pts)
2015 Liberal · Rodger Cuzner, by 25,917 votes (60.0 pts)

In Cape Breton—Canso on the 2013 boundaries, the riding most of the 2025 electors in today's Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish lived in; Elections Canada's official results.

What kind of place Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish is

Population: 75,0302021 census
Area: 20,565km²
Density: 3.6people per km²
Electors: 64,665on the 2025 lists

Distinctions · ranked against all 343 ridings

Highest turnout in Nova Scotia
75.1% of 64,665 electors voted · 1st of 11 in Nova Scotia · 30th of 343 in Canada
Largest by area in Nova Scotia
20,565 km² · 1st of 11 in Nova Scotia · 48th of 343 in Canada
Least populous in Nova Scotia
75,030 people, 2021 census · 1st of 11 in Nova Scotia · 17th of 343 in Canada

Median age is 50.8 — about 1.2 times the median riding's 41.6.
highestlowest19th highest of 343
Share who are immigrants is 3.8% — about 22 percent of the median riding's 17.3%.
highestlowest41st lowest of 343
Median total household income is $67,500 — about 80 percent of the median riding's $84,000.
highestlowest51st lowest of 343
Share of households that own their home is 78.4% — a little higher than the median riding's 71.4%.
highestlowest75th highest of 343
Share with French as a mother tongue is 5.6% — about 3.5 times the median riding's 1.6%.
highestlowest103rd highest of 343
Share aged 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.6% — about 80 percent of the median riding's 28.2%.
highestlowest125th lowest of 343

2021 Census on the 2023 boundaries; each rule places this riding among all 343. Density is the census population over the riding's area.

IDid this riding change?

Yes. 61% of the 2025 electors in today's Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish lived in the old Cape Breton—Canso; by area, 37% of the riding came from other ridings.

Share of today's electorsFormer riding

60.8%Cape Breton—Canso 62.6% of the area · 97% of it kept

22.1%Sydney—Victoria 29.3% of the area · 94% of it kept

17.1%Central Nova 8.0% of the area · 13% of it kept

How this is measured. Electors: the share of the current riding's 2025 ordinary-list electors who lived in each former riding, each 2025 polling division placed in the 2013 riding a point inside it falls in. Area: the share of the current riding's area that came from each former riding, by intersecting the 2013 and 2023 boundary files, and how much of the former riding that part was. Area is land, not population. Elections Canada counts 48 of 343 ridings as entirely unchanged.

IIThe 2025 result

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	2021	±
Jaime Battiste	Liberal	24,908	51.6%	45.0%	+6.6
Allan MacMaster	Conservative	20,870	43.2%	34.8%	+8.4
Joanna Clark	New Democratic	1,930	4.0%	14.6%	−10.6

2 further candidates, each under 1% of the vote

Ryan Smyth	People's	333	0.7%
Rebecca Wall	Independent	237	0.5%

The 2021 column is Elections Canada's official transposition of the 2021 result onto these 2023 boundaries. ± is the change in each party's share. It is not "swing": with four or more competitive parties there is no single pair to swing between.

IIIHow close was it, really

Third place vs. the margin

1,930 votes

New Democratic took fewer than the 4,038-vote margin.

Election-day polls won by others

98 of 190

4 polls ended in an exact tie.

Fig. 2 — Each square is one election-day poll: ■ won by the Liberals (88) · ■ won by another party (98) · ▨ tied (4).

Flip the seatHypothetical

It would have taken 2,020 voters switching from Liberal to Conservative — 4.2% of the 48,278 valid votes, 4.2 points — to change the result. No ballot was cast this way; this only moves votes between the top two.

Voters who switch: 004,040

Liberal24,908

Conservative20,870

Still Liberal by 4,038 votes. Actual margin: 4,038.

IVElection day versus advance

Only 55.1% of this riding's votes were cast at election-day polls. The rest were advance or special ballots.

On election day the Liberals took 47.6%, the Conservatives 46.4% and the New Democrats 4.5%; in advance and special ballots, 56.5%, 39.4% and 3.3%, in that order.

Share of the valid votes by party, election-day polls against advance and special ballots, Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, April 28, 2025

Shares of the valid votes cast at election-day polls, and of those cast at advance polls, at mobile polls and by special ballot; the gap is the second less the first, in points. Source: Elections Canada, poll-by-poll results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Party	Election day	Advance and special	Gap
Liberal	47.6%	56.5%	+8.9
Conservative	46.4%	39.4%	−7.0
New Democratic	4.5%	3.3%	−1.2

An association, not a cause. Voters who cast ballots before election day differed from those who turned out on the day. It does not say why. There is no poll-level turnout figure on this page: the elector count on a polling division includes people who voted in advance and were counted elsewhere.

VWhere it is

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Fig. 3 — Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish and its 2 neighbouring ridings.

Sources and citation

"Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish — federal riding profile and 2025 results."
The Political Record. https://politicalrecord.ca/riding/cape-breton-canso-antigonish/
Accessed 2026-11-10.

Results and transposition: Elections Canada. Boundaries: Elections Canada / Statistics Canada, Open Government Licence – Canada. Census: Statistics Canada 2021 Census. Member: House of Commons.

Figures reconcile to the certified national total of 19,641,663 votes. The member is as the House of Commons listed them on 2026-11-01. Page built 2026-11-10.