Meet the candidates who are running against the party leaders from Ottawa

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Good morning!

We are officially less than a week away from knowing who the next Prime Minister of Canada will be. 

In Ottawa I’m most excited to watch three ridings. Nepean is very interesting to me because Liberal Party leader Mark Carney is running there. He’s not from the area, but it’s incredibly hard to go up against an incumbent. At the same time, the Conservatives are running their strongest candidate there in years. While Carleton is likely a shoo-in for the Conservatives and Pierre Poilievre, polls show increasing support for the Liberals. And Ottawa Centre has also caught my eye because Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi is facing off against former Ottawa Centre MPP Joel Harden. You might recall Harden beat Naqvi provincially in 2018. 

What also makes this election fascinating is that two of the main party leaders are from Ottawa. I sat down with the main contenders who are trying to unseat them. Over the weekend, I was also in Nepean, where Carney held his first campaign rally in Ottawa. We have a breakdown of what he said. 

Some good news for our readers: I’m happy to report we will have a special elections newsletter coming out Thursday, and we are planning another for Saturday. This is thanks to the abundance of freelance stories we were able to hire out, thanks to the Covering Canada: Election 2025 from the Rideau Hall Foundation grant that is helping small publications like ours across the country dedicate more coverage to the election. 

Lastly, we are currently looking to speak with any business owners who are concerned about how U.S. tariffs could impact your operations. Feel free to shoot me an email! 

Let’s get to today’s headlines. 

— Charlie Senack, Ottawa Lookout managing editor

[email protected]

X: @Charlie_Senack

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 13 🌡️ 2 | 🌧️

Thursday: 17 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Friday: 16 🌡️ 8 | 🌤️

OTTAWA NUMBERS

📈 2x: The rate of increase in opioid usage in grades 7 to 12 from 2021 to 2023, with around 20 per cent reporting that they used opioids last year. [CBC]

🚘️ $10,000: Now that’s a lot money… That’s the fine someone could receive after going 156 km/h over the speed limit on the 416, and after getting caught stunt driving back in October. [CityNews]

FEDERAL ELECTION

Meet the candidates who are running against the party leaders from Ottawa

It’s almost certain that whoever the next Prime Minister of Canada is, they will hold a seat in Ottawa. 

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is the longtime incumbent in the rural riding of Carleton and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney is running in the riding of Nepean.  

The last time a prime minister was from the Capital was Sir John A. MacDonald, who was the MP for Carleton between 1882 and 1887. 

Ottawa is a safe town for the Liberals. They currently hold seven seats here with the Conservatives having just one. 

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said having a Prime Minister who represents a riding here could be a game changer for getting things done: When re-election time rolls around, they would need to prove they’ve accomplished something for their constituents. But there are some pitfalls, too. 

“We are the place where all the members of Parliament gather on a regular basis. It was interesting with the previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau. When he would go to Vancouver for a visit, he could typically see the local mayor. But he worked and lived in Ottawa, so he was never visiting,” Sutcliffe told the Ottawa Business Journal. “It is an interesting dynamic, that we’re close, but (Ottawa is) never part of the same structured outreach by the federal government.”

Seat projections on 338 Canada indicate a safe win in Ottawa ridings for the two main party leaders. But candidates from other parties are also eyeing the seats and are showing the results could come closer than some thought. The Ottawa Lookout sat down with them to learn more about why voters should choose them instead. 

Barbara Bal hopes to turn Nepean blue 

It's hard work going up against an incumbent, but even harder going up against the Prime Minister of Canada. Even so, Nepean Conservative candidate Barbara Bal said she’s in this federal election race to win it. 

The riding of Nepean has deep Blue Conservative roots but went Liberal in 2015 when Chandra Arya won the seat. He was planning to run again, but was ousted just weeks ago over a 2019 trip to India. Carney, whose actual home is in Rockcliffe Park, lives far away from the suburban riding he wants to represent. 

 Bal moved to Barrhaven in 2001, started a family here, and has worked in law enforcement for 28 years. 

“I love Nepean because it's still a small community, but a very self-sufficient community,” Bal told the Ottawa Lookout. “I’ve got connections everywhere here because of my kids' sports teams. I've always volunteered in some kind of capacity, whether as a manager or a treasurer, or at my kids' school. I've been on the parent council at so many local schools. My daughter started at Barrhaven Public.”

While on a federal level this election has been about the threat of tariffs imposed by the U.S., Bal said the main issue at the doors has been safety. Barrhaven has been home to record-breaking car thefts. Just weeks ago, a Shoppers Drug Mart beauty department was robbed while the store was open. 

As a police officer Bal said she’s seen these issues first-hand. She was inspired to run after watching a video released by Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre in November 2022 where he said the system was broken. 

“The biggest thing for me was the drug crisis. It's all of society that's affected by these overdoses. I feel that this current government's response to that is, we're going to give you more free drugs. That makes no sense to me,” said Bal. “When Pierre came out with his platform saying, treatment or rehabilitation to bring our loved ones home drug free, that meant a lot to me.” 

Another concern impacting Nepean residents, says Bal, is inflation. 

“The cumulative effect is eight per cent. Pensions have gone down eight per cent. So everyone's actually making eight per cent less, but food is going up 30 per cent. Everyone is having to make do with less,” said Bal. “I was an 80s child; the ‘freedom 55’ from back then was your life was ahead of you and you could travel. People are no longer able to do this. Everyone's a little bit in crisis mode.”  

Bal referenced a senior citizen she met at the door whose husband had Alzheimer’s and had to be put in a home. They sold their house for $800,000, but will be without any money in seven years due to nursing home costs, rent, and other monthly expenses. 

On a local level, Bal would like to see improvements made to the future Barrhaven Downtown Civic Centre Complex proposal. While doorknocking, she’s heard the need for a job creation centre to be built in the community. 

“I hear a lot from both long-term residents of Nepean and new immigrants that are coming here, they find it very difficult to navigate the Canadian system on how to start a business,” said Bal. “I would love to have a place where if an entrepreneur has an idea for a business, they can go in and all the resources are there to set it up. It will save months of time trying to navigate the system and also get people to work sooner so that they're creating income, and able to provide for their family while also contributing to the Canadian economy. “

Bal said she would also like to add subsidized $10 a day daycare to the site. The Conservative Party candidate says only 67 Nepean families currently benefit from the program. 

Liberal candidate Carney has stopped in Nepean on various occasions. Without much fanfare, he opened his campaign office in late March and has posted some photos to social media door-knocking in the riding. He also attended a private Eid al-Fitr gathering at a home in Half Moon Bay, and took part in seva at the Ottawa Sikh Society. Over the weekend Carney also held his first Ottawa rally outside the Lusitania Portuguese Club Of Ottawa near Slack Rd. 

There are five names on the ballots this election for Nepean. Others include: NDP candidate Shyam Shukla who did not respond to our request for an interview, Green Party candidate Greg Hopkins, and People’s Party of Canada candidate Eric Fleury. 

The Liberals are giving a competitive race to Poilievre in Carleton 

It’s a known fact these days that the riding of Carleton almost always votes Conservative. 

Party leader Pierre Poilievre has held the traditionally blue territory since winning it in 2014 at the age of 25. But before then, Liberal David Pratt held the seat since 1997. 

Now, Bruce Fanjoy is hoping to paint the rural area of rich farmland red again. He knows it will be a difficult task; not only is he going up against a party leader, but someone who’s running in his eighth election. 

In two and a half years, Fanjoy has knocked on over 15,000 doors. And during that time he’s heard a variety of concerns from hopeful constituents. 

“Carleton has been under-represented for over 20 years by Pierre Poilievre. He's been absent; he’s accomplished nothing,” Fanjoy told the Lookout.  “We also have a lot of people who would be affected negatively by Mr. Poilievre gaining power. He's brought American-style politics to Canada. People are tired of that. My approach is much more active, much more positive, where he sees nothing but problems.”

On multiple occasions, Poilievre has said “Canada is broken.” Fanjoy said that’s not the case, but is concerned about the threat of U.S. tariffs.  

“Today I was visiting a business in Carleton. They are a company that has integrated North American operations, lots of parts for servicing heavy equipment that have come from the US. That’s a hair issue for them,” he said. 

“The Liberal government under Mark Carney is fighting back against these unjustified tariffs. We need to support our industries, businesses and jobs that provide for workers who support their families,” Fanjoy added. “Pierre Poilievre is a career politician who's never dealt with a crisis in his life. He's completely ill-equipped to deal with something of this scale. Whereas Mark Carney has been dealing with big complicated crises throughout his career.“

What’s also appalling to Carleton voters, says Fanjoy, was Poilievre’s support of the so-called “Freedom” trucker convoy, which took over downtown Ottawa streets. The Conservative Party leader was seen bringing them coffee and donuts. 

Even former Government Leader of the Senate Marjory LeBreton — a Carleton resident — condemned Poilievre’s support of the truckers and said she was “very worried” about the party’s future. Her advice was to run a kinder campaign. 

“The idea of accusing people of lying and crooks, this is not the debate we should be having,” LeBreton stated in a 2022 interview with the Manotick Messenger. “We should be having a debate about who we are, what we stand for, and what we would do if we were to form a government. Canadians are not adverse to voting for Conservatives. Eight of the 10 provinces have Conservative-leaning governments.”

Fanjoy said he’s heard from a number of typically Conservative voters who said they’d be voting Liberal this time around. One said it was strictly so the party would need to do a leadership review to rebuild. 

“They said that they didn't recognize their party anymore. The convoy occupation happened in Ottawa and then convoys around Canada happened. Within weeks, Trump incited the same nonsense in Washington. To see our MP encouraging that nonsense here in the National Capital of Canada was disgraceful. Jean Charest made the point that it should be disqualifying and I agree with him.” 

The Lookout asked Fanjoy for a Carleton-oriented platform but kept redirecting the question back to tariffs. He did say affordability continues to be a concern and that the Liberals would implement a tax cut, more free childcare, and the Canadian Dental Plan which is already set to be expanded. 

Carleton has a whopping 91 candidates running in the riding. As a result, the ballot had to be adapted and is 97.03 centimetres long. Eighty-five of the candidates are part of the “Longest Ballot Committee”, which is pushing for electoral reform. While a traditional ballot box can hold 1,000 ballots, it’s expected only 100 ballots will fit because of the large size.

While polls show Poilievre winning an eighth mandate in Carleton, projections are showing growing support for the Liberals. The incumbent Conservative is projected to get 50 per cent of the vote, with Fanjoy coming in second with 41 per cent. Before Carney was elected leader, Poilievre was closer to 58 per cent. 338 Canada projections have shifted from Poilievre with a 100 per cent chance of winning the riding to 91 per cent. 

The Lookout is still hoping to interview both Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney before the end of the election.

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And if you like prizes . . . there are hundreds of dollars of them. You could win your own Stand-up Paddleboard, or dozens of other great gifts. They'll also be some games handy for the kids to enjoy.

See you there!

THE AGENDA

🧒 If you have a small child, this probably isn’t news to you, but demand for childcare spots has grown. A lot. With the $22 a day child care implemented, the number of children waiting for a spot in the city’s registry has grown by 300 per cent since 2019. A new report says around 7,000 children still need spots. Currently, there are 26,000 childcare spaces, with 2,903 funded by the federal government through the national childcare program. [CBC]

🪧 Some Carleton University employees could be on strike as early as May. The Carleton University Academic Staff Association, the union that represents 1,000 full-time faculty members and professional librarians, will be in a legal strike position then. The contract for those workers expired on April 30 of last year, and workers will be in a position to strike by early May. [Ottawa Citizen]

🌊 While there’s no flooding yet, everyone should keep an eye out in the next little while. Water levels on the Ottawa River are still susceptible to increases, with flows exceeding flood levels in some areas. [Ottawa Citizen]

🗳️ Mayor Mark Sutcliffe hopes to prioritize key things like his Fairness for Ottawa campaign and downtown revitalization with whichever party forms government next week. He says there are good and bad things with the city having a potential Prime Minister — either Carney or Poilievre — representing ridings in the city. [OBJ]

🚴 Families near McKellar Park tried a new way of getting around. It’s called a bike bus, where parents lead a large group of children in a bike group, ensuring that young children can stay safe while getting to school. It’s a popular activity in countries like Scotland and the Netherlands. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏒 It was a tough loss for the Senators, with the Leafs winning in overtime 3-2. The Leads lead the series 2-0, with the next game back in Ottawa.

FEDERAL ELECTION

Liberal leader Mark Carney holds rally in his riding of Nepean

With only a week to go until election day, Liberal party leader Mark Carney made a campaign stop in Nepean, the riding he’s running in. The event attracted thousands with long lines stretching around the Lusitania Portuguese Club of Ottawa where he spoke. 

Under a clear blue sky, Carney was introduced on stage by his wife Diana Fox Carney, who spoke about the man many people don’t see. 

“He’s undaunted by the kinds of challenges that would fall most of us. And that’s really critical now. I want you to know that while you think he’s invincible, he struggles much as the rest of us with how to figure out the air fryer or keep his inbox clean. But when it comes to the hog issues he’s pretty invincible,” said Diana. 

“Secondly I want to tell you that Mark is loyal. He’s still in touch with his grade school friends. He still clings on to his spiral notebooks from when he was in grade school. He still talks about his first and only family dog from back in Edmonton and he still holds onto those old goalie skates from the 80s.” 

Carney was also joined on stage by his team of candidates — mostly incumbents — from across the city who were energetic about ushering in a new era for the party. Some were at risk of losing their seats before the change of leader. 

Nepean was brought up very few times during the speech, but Carney used it as an opportunity to bash his rival opponent Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and talk about threats imposed by the United States. 

“This is the most consequential vote of our lifetimes because President Trump has ignited a trade war that has ruptured the global economy and changed forever our relationship with the United States,” said Carney. “That old relationship is over, unfortunately. … It is a tragedy, but it’s the new reality, and we’re responding.”

There were boos for Trump. At one point, a person in the crowd yelled that he felt bad for the U.S President because of how lost he was, and Carney jokingly responded, “I’m not there yet.” 

The Liberal leader also took the opportunity to boost support for Carleton Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy, who is up against Poilievre. 

Carney also took jabs at the Conservative Party leader, saying he wasn’t prepared to take on Trump. 

“In a crisis, a plan provides direction when there’s a fog of uncertainty. It brings the team together. It drives action. When we’re in a situation like this, and I can tell you from experience, you need an overwhelming force,” said Carney to a roaring crowd. “You need the government to step up and lead when the private sector is retreating under anxiety and uncertainty, and that’s what our plan to make Canada strong will do.”

In closing, Carney wished the Ottawa Senators good luck as they got ready for a playoff game that night, but said he also extended support to the Toronto Maple Leafs so he couldn’t be criticized for saying different things in different places. 

This has been Carney’s only campaign rally in Ottawa during the election, and it’s unclear if he plans to make any stops here before the results come in on Monday night. In Nepean, polling projections are in his favour. According to 338 Canada, Carney is projected to win the seat formerly held by Liberal MP Chandra Arya with 58 per cent of the vote. Conservative candidate Barbara Bal is projected to come in second place with 33 per cent of the vote. 

HOME OF THE WEEK

We’re heading across the river to Pontiac for this week’s home of the week.

The outside? Stunning. The inside? Stunning. Apparently, it has a pool (no photos provided), which I assume is also stunning. The place is almost 3,20 square feet, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The downside is it’s a 25-minute drive to the city. 

Of course, this massive home and massive property will set you back a bit…

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labeled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

ARTS GUIDE

Performance

Nature Nocturne is back on May 30. It’s an evening of playful discovery, activities and dancing, it’s a fun after-hours experience at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Tickets are $39. 

Local dance company Propeller Dance is performing for two nights on Friday and Saturday, a performance about the meditation on nature, dance and community. Tickets are $20. 

Byron Stripling is back at the NAC, leading the orchestra in Harlem Nights: From Ella to Ellington, with music inspired by Harlem. He’ll be joined by jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford. Tickets are $31 and the shows are on from Apr. 24-26

Art

The True to Life photography exhibit at Ottawa’s Art House Cafe features photography from people with Down syndrome, run by photographers Kelly McDonald and Emillie Swain, who have created a safe space for them to creatively explore. [Capital Current].

There’s still time to catch The Air of the Now and Gone, an exhibit that explores our relationship to the environment, in video, installation, painting and photography. 

The best underground arts party in Ottawa is back. Pique is on June 7 at the Arts Court, bringing together a diverse community of artists, described as a “forward-thinking multi-arts program.” Tickets are pay what you can, with a suggested price of $45

Movies

Mayfair is showing independent movies Parthenope, which was called a “work of casual mastery,” the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show and Princess Mononoke.

ByTowne is showing Breakfast Club, an indie music comedy getting rave reviews called The Ballad of Wallis Island and The French Connection, one of the best movies ever made with arguably the greatest car chase in movie history.

Music

The Deep Dark Woods | 27 Club, 27 York St | Apr. 23 | Haunting, harmony-rich folk songs blending gothic storytelling with traditional folk, country blues, and the 1960s British folk revival. Tickets $25. 

Ottawa Grassroots Festival | First Unitarian Congregation, 30 Cleary Av | Apr. 24-27 | Multi-day festival featuring free daytime performances and nighttime blues, rockabilly and country. Tickets $29+. 

Tucana | Live! On Elgin, 220 Elgin St | Apr. 25 | Heavy, distorted guitars and relentless drums create a raw and chaotic blend of post-punk and hardcore. Tickets $15.

Orchidae | NAC, 1 Elgin St | Apr. 25 | Combining her classical training with avant-pop to traverse multiple genres from confident electronic pop to heartfelt piano ballads. Tickets $18.

Garrett Warner Trio| Art House Cafe,555 Somerset St W | Apr. 26 | An evening of Americana/alternative-inspired instrumental jazz led by electric guitar. Tickets $15.

Listings for music shows are provided by Ottawa Gigs, the best place to discover live music in Ottawa. Check out Ottawagigs.ca for full listings across the city.

OTTAWA GUESSER

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• This crawl has much less drinking and a lot more reading. The Indie Bookstore Crawl runs from Apr. 25 to 27. [Apt613]

• Nominate a cycling champion! Celebrate individuals or organizations making Ottawa better by bike. Submit your nomination for the Bruce Timmermans Awards by April 30. [Sponsored]

• There’s a new cookie store in the ByWay Market. [CTV]

• Rural Ottawa students had a fun time recently getting to meet astronauts over video. [CTV]

• This is very niche, but if you’re looking for a coffee shop for a first date, Ottawa Reddit users have you covered. [Reddit]

• Famous Ottawa puppeteer Noreen Young has passed away. She ran the children’s show Under the Umbrella Tree at CBC.