Meet the Ontario election candidates in Ottawa and eastern Ontario

Voters in Ottawa and across Ontario head to the polls on Thursday to vote in the provincial election.

At the dissolution of the Ontario legislature, the Progressive Conservative Party held four of the eight seats in the city of Ottawa, the Liberal Party held three seats and the New Democrats held one seat.

In eastern Ontario, the Progressive Conservatives held four seats, the Liberals and NDP each held one seat and one seat was held by Independent MPP Randy Hillier, who is not seeking re-election.

Here’s a look at the candidates in Ottawa and eastern Ontario.

Carleton

Population: 102,918 (as of 2016 Census)

• Tom Dawson: Ontario Liberal Party
• Goldie Ghamari: Ontario PC Party (incumbent)
• Kevin St. Denis: Ontario NDP
• Rob Stocki: New Blue
• Cody Zulinski: Green Party of Ontario

Notes

Progressive Conservative Goldie Ghamari won the 2018 election with 51.3 per cent of the vote.  The riding of Carleton was created in 2018 from Nepean-Carleton, Carleton-Mississippi Mills and Ottawa South.

Kanata-Carleton

Population: 110,960 (as of 2016 Census)

• Jennifer Boudreau: New Blue
• Melissa Coenraad: Ontario NDP
• Pat Freel: Green Party of Ontario
• Merrilee Fullerton: Ontario PC Party (incumbent)
• Shahbaz Syed: Ontario Liberal Party

Notes

Progressive Conservative Merrilee Fullerton won the 2018 election with 43 per cent of the vote.  Fullerton served as Minister of Long-Term Care before moving to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. The riding of Carleton was created from the ridings of Carleton-Mississippi Mills and Nepean-Carleton for the 2018 election.

Nepean

Population: 119,110 (as of 2016 Census)

• Kathleen Corriveau: New Blue
• Brian Double: Ontario NDP
• Lisa MacLeod: Ontario PC Party (incumbent)
• Kaitlyn Tremblay: Green Party of Ontario
• Tyler Watt: Ontario Liberal Party

Notes

Progressive Conservative Lisa MacLeod won the 2018 election with 45 per cent of the vote.  MacLeod was first elected in the riding of Nepean-Carleton in 2006, and has won re-election in 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2018.  MacLeod served as Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, and then served as Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Cultural Industries.  The riding of Nepean was created from the old riding of Nepean-Carleton for the 2018 election.

Orléans

Population: 128,281 (as of 2016 Census)

• Stephen Blais: Ontario Liberal Party (incumbent)
• Gabe Bourdon: Ontario NDP
• Melissa Felián: Ontario PC Party
• Ken Lewis: Libertarian
• Michelle Peterson: Green Party of Ontario
• Liam Randall: New Blue Party of Ontario

Notes

Liberal Stephen Blais won a byelection in February 2020 to represent the riding of Orléans following the resignation of Marie-France Lalonde. Blais, the former Ottawa councillor, won the riding with 55 per cent of the vote.  The Liberals have held the riding of Orléans since 2003.

Ottawa Centre

Population: 118,038 (as of 2016 Census)

• Marc Adoranto: None of the Above Direct Democracy Party
• Glen Armstrong: New Blue
• Shelby Bertrand: Green Party of Ontario
• Thomas Borcsok: Independent
• Katie Gibbs: Ontario Liberal Party
• Joel Harden: Ontario NDP (incumbent)
• Scott Healey: Ontario PC Party
• Raymond Samuels: Ontario People's Front
• Ryan Stuart: Communist Party

Notes

NDP Joel Harden won the riding of Ottawa Centre in the 2018 election with 46 per cent of the vote, defeating Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi. The riding of Ottawa Centre has been held by either a Liberal or New Democrat since it was formed in 1967.

Ottawa South

Population: 121,058 (as of 2016 Census)

• Edward Dinca: Ontario PC Party
• Nira Dookeran: Green Party of Ontario
• John Fraser: Ontario Liberal Party (incumbent)
• Morgan Gay: Ontario NDP
• Martin Ince: New Blue
• Larry Wasslen: Communist Party

Notes

Liberal John Fraser won the 2018 election in Ottawa South with 39.6 per cent of the vote. Fraser has held the riding since winning a byelection in 2013, following the resignation of former Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty. The Liberals have held the riding since 1987, while the Progressive Conservatives represented the riding from 1926 to 1987.

Ottawa-Vanier

Population: 111,508 (as of 2016 Census)

• Eric Armstrong-Giroux: Ontario Party
• Lucille Collard: Ontario Liberal Party (incumbent)
• Coreen Corcoran: Libertarian
• Lyra Evans: Ontario NDP
• Blake Hamilton: None of the Above Direct Democracy Party
• Patrick Mayangi: Ontario PC Party
• Michael Pastien: New Blue
• Christian Proulx: Green Party of Ontario

Notes

Liberal Lucille Collard has represented the riding since winning a byelection in February 2020, receiving 52 per cent of the vote. Collard replaced Nathalie Des Rosiers as MPP in Ottawa Vanier, who resigned to become the Principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto. The Liberals have represented the riding since 1971.

Ottawa West–Nepean

Population: 111,837 (as of 2016 Census)

• Sam Bhalesar: Ontario Liberal Party
• Scott Blandford: New Blue
• Villtau Delvas: Ontario Party
• Chandra Pasma: Ontario NDP
• Jeremy Roberts: Ontario PC Party (incumbent)
• Steven Warren: Green Party of Ontario

Notes

Progressive Conservative Jeremy Roberts won the 2018 election, defeating incumbent Bob Chiarelli. Roberts won the riding by 175 votes over NDP candidate Chandra Pasma.  The Progressive Conservatives represented the riding from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2022. 

EASTERN ONTARIO

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

Population: 109,975 (as of 2016 Census)

• Stephane Aubry: Ontario Party
• Victor Brassard: New Blue
• Alicia Elgin: Ontario NDP
• Thaila Riden: Green Party of Ontario
• Stephane Sarrazin: PC Party of Ontario
• Amanda Simard: Liberal (incumbent)

Notes

Amanda Simard won the 2018 election as the Progressive Conservative candidate, receiving 40.9 per cent of the vote. Simard resigned from the Ontario PC Party in 2018 to sit as an independent after speaking out against the government's cuts to French-language services. Simard joined the Liberal Party in 2020. The riding was held by the Liberal Party between 1999 and 2018.

Hastings-Lennox and Addington

Population: 102,918 (as of 2016 Census)

• Ric Bresee: Ontario PC Party
• Ted Darby: Ontario Liberal Party
• Eric DePoe: Ontario NDP
• Joyce Reid: New Blue
• Derek Sloan: Ontario Party
• Christina Wilson: Green Party of Ontario

Notes

Progressive Conservative Daryl Kramp is not seeking re-election. Kramp won the 2018 election in the newly created riding of Hastings-Lennox and Addington, receiving 50 per cent of the vote.  The riding was created from Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington and Prince Edward-Hastings.

Kingston and the Islands

Population: 117,543 (as of 2016 Census)

• Shalea Beckwith: Ontario Party
• Gary Bennett: PC Party of Ontario
• Shelley Joanne Galloway: Independent
• Mary Rita Holland: Ontario NDP
• Ted Hsu: Ontario Liberal Party
• Steve Skyvington: New Blue
• Zachary Typhair: Green Party of Ontario
• Sebastian Vaillancourt: Communist Party

Notes

New Democrat Ian Arthur won the 2018 election with 39 per cent of the vote. Arthur announced in December he would not be seeking re-election.  The riding was held by the Liberal Party between 1995 and 2018.

Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston

Population: 101,630 (as of 2016 Census)

• Drew Cumpson: Ontario NDP
• John Jordan: PC Party of Ontario
• Marcin Lewandowski: New Blue
• Craig Timothy Massey Rogers: Independent
• Thomas Mulder: Ontario Party
• Amanda Pulker-Mok: Ontario Liberal Party
• Marlene Spruyt: Green Party of Ontario

Notes

Randy Hillier won the riding representing the Progressive Conservatives in the 2018 election, receiving 52 per cent of the vote. Hillier says he will not be seeking re-election after representing the riding since 2007. Hillier served as an Independent after being removed from the PC caucus.

Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes

Population: 100,546 (as of 2016 Census)

• Josh Bennett: Ontario Liberal Party
• Steve Clark: PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)
• Stephen Ireland: Ontario People's Front
• Fiona Jager: Green Party of Ontario
• Dan Kitsch: New Blue
• Chris Wilson: Ontario NDP

Notes

Progressive Conservative Steve Clark won the riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes in 2018, receiving 61 per cent of the vote.   Clark has served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing during this term. Clark has represented the riding since 2010, when he won a byelection to replace Bob Runciman. The Progressive Conservatives have represented the riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes and the previous riding of Leeds-Grenville since its inception in 1987.

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke

Population: 103,495 (as of 2016 Census)

• Anna Dolan: Green Party of Ontario
• Kade MacWilliams: Ontario Party
• Thomas O'Connor: New Blue
• Josh Oliver: Ontario Liberal Party
• Murray Reid: Ontario Provincial Confederation of Regions Party
• Kurt Stoll: Ontario NDP
• John Yakabuski: Ontario PC Party (incumbent)

Notes

Progressive Conservative John Yakabuski won the 2018 election, receiving 69 per cent of the vote. The long-time Member of Provincial Parliament has represented the riding of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke since 2003. Yakabuski was appointed the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry by Premier Doug Ford. In 2021, he was moved to the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier.

Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry

Population: 103,320 (as of 2016 Census)

• Kirsten Gardner: Ontario Liberal Party
• Jacqueline Milner: Green Party of Ontario
• Nolan Quinn: PC Party of Ontario
• Wendy Stephen: Ontario NDP
• Claude Tardif: New Blue
• Remi Tremblay: Ontario Party

Notes

Progressive Conservative Jim McDonell announced in November that he would not be seeking re-election after holding the seat since 2011.  McDonell won the 2018 election with 61.5 per cent of the vote.