Justin Trudeau and his team make their presence felt in southwestern Ontario

It is perfectly normal for politicians to make regional visits throughout the summer. However, it is rare to see a Prime Minister and five cabinet heavyweights come to a region of only a handful of ridings and a few hundred thousand people.

After Trudeau's visit to the so-called tomato capital came Amarjeet Sohi's attendance at the official inauguration of the construction of the Gordie-Howe bridge. The then-minister of infrastructure was accompanied by Marko Mendicino, the parliamentary secretary for the minister of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould.

At the beginning of August, health minister Ginette Petitpas-Taylor held a private meeting with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and police chief Al Frederick to reportedly discuss the opioid crisis. 

Just days later, Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, came to inaugurate and name a building in honour of former Canadian federal judge Jack "Bud" Cullen.

And finally, Canada's Minister of Finance Bill Morneau was here on August 13 to talk to local entrepreneurs and workers at the Fiat Chrysler plant.

It's not big events which have driven these people here. Instead, they've actually made time in their agenda to come tend to regionally-specific issues.

What the experts have to say

"It's probably telling, a year coming into the next federal election, that the Liberals are seeing this region of Ontario as a key region for them, something that they want to conquer, that they want to bring back to their side of politics." said Laval University political science professor Thierry Giasson.

It's not just about gaining votes, but also strengthening a political base of supporters and volunteers who will help the Liberals during the upcoming 2019 campaign. That's according to Peter Graefe, a political science professor at McMaster University.

The motivation for Trudeau's team in paying attention to the Windsor-Essex region may be that they are betting on citizens' fear of retaliation over NAFTA renegotiations.

Graefe said people could see the election of a Liberal MP as favourable for regions heavily impacted by NAFTA, as opposed to electing an MP from the opposition.

There are many factors which could explain the federal government's presence here — the trade feud with the United States, Windsor-Essex's status as a border region, possible irregular border crossings or even the agriculture file, given that Leamington may soon become the capital of marijuana.

"They've clearly identified this region as something that is reachable, and it's also obviously one of the highest circulation points between the U.S. and Canada. Businesses a lot of merchandise moves between Detroit and Windsor, so it's a very important and strategic part of Ontario and the country," Giasson said.

A big scare in June

Additionally, Giasson said the results of the recent Ontario election have shaken up the federal Liberals quite a bit.

Kathleen Wynne's defeat in most of the Ontario ridings has Trudeau's team possibly worried about the way the federal Liberals will fare in this province, given that Doug Ford's Ontario PC party saw such a strong win back in June.

"We've seen a complete reframing of the cabinet, following the provincial Ontario election. I think that this Federal government is very weary of its placement [and] its standing in Ontario right now," he said.

Graefe agrees with that statement. According to him, Liberals are scared that Justin Trudeau will see the same fate as Kathleen Wynne did in Ontario.

Political history in southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario has a historical importance for the Liberal Party. That's according to Graefe, who said "not too long ago, about a generation ago, that party was dominating the federal elections here."

As for University of Windsor professor Lydia Miljan, she said Windsor-Essex works by having three NDP strongholds — something the Liberal Party may be looking to change.

​

"They're probably doing the same thing in Quebec. They're probably doing similar things in British Columbia. And [other] places where they think they can make inroads," Miljan said.

It is interesting to note that Jagmeet Singh has grown up in Windsor, which Giasson said could influence the government to double-down in the predominantly-orange region.

But Miljan said that since Singh hasn't seen much traction on the federal scene since becoming party leader, that leaves the NDP somewhat vulnerable, which may create an incentive for Liberals to take advantage.