Liberals acclaim Ottawa city councillor, former Ontario AG as federal candidates

Former Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi (left) and sitting Ottawa city councillor Jenna Sudds (right) will be running for the Liberal Party in the next federal election.

OTTAWA -

Ottawa city councillor Jenna Sudds and former Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi will be running for the Liberal Party in the next federal election.

Federal parties have been nominating candidates in anticipation of an election call that could come this summer.

Two Ottawa area Liberal MPs, Catherine McKenna and Karen McCrimmon, have both said they will not seek re-election, leaving their ridings of Ottawa Centre and Kanata-Carleton open for new candidates.

On Monday, Sudds, currently councillor for Kanata North, announced on social media that she was acclaimed as the new candidate for Kanata-Carleton.

"I have had the honour of representing our community since 2018 as City Councillor for Kanata North and as Deputy Mayor of Ottawa since 2019. While I regret leaving my term one year early, I strongly believe this is an opportunity to serve our broader community into the future," she wrote.

Sudds has not yet formally resigned from city council. If she wins the federal seat, she would have to give up her seat on city council, at which point the city could appoint a replacement or hold a byelection. Municipal elections in Ontario are set to be held on Oct. 24, 2022.

Other candidates who will be running in Kanata-Carleton include Conservative Party candidate Jennifer McAndrew, Green Party candidate Jennifer Purdy and People's Party candidate Scott Miller.

Naqvi to run in Ottawa Centre

Naqvi, who represented Ottawa Centre at Queen's Park, serving in the cabinet of former Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne in numerous roles including Attorney General, also announced that he would seek the federal seat in Ottawa Centre, currently held by McKenna.

Naqvi lost his seat at Queen's Park in 2018 when Joel Harden of the NDP was elected. He went on to become the CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. He announced his candidacy for the federal seat on social media Monday evening after being acclaimed by the party.

"I am excited to share that I have been officially nominated as the Liberal candidate to represent Ottawa Centre as your Member of Parliament in the next Federal Election," he wrote.

McKenna said she is "honoured to be passing the baton" to Naqvi and that she was looking forward to helping him "deliver even more for residents of Ottawa Centre."

Naqvi will face Angella MacEwen of the NDP, Carol Clemenhagen of the Conservatives and Angela Keller-Herzog with the Green Party.