By Mike Hinds
Election fever spread in Ottawa Centre last week, with two parties nominating federal candidates.
The Liberals chose long-time MP Mac Harb by acclamation, while the NDP nominated community activist and author Heather-jane Robertson. She defeated emergency room physician Atul Kapur.
The Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance have nomination meetings planned for November for an election widely expected to be held in the spring.
Robertson will face a tough challenge in Harb, who has held the riding since 1988. In the 1997 election, Harb defeated his nearest opponent, NDP candidate Jamey Heath, by more than 12,000 votes.
Both candidates were quick to outline what they consider to be the key issues for Ottawa Centre. Robertson focused on post-secondary education, while Harb identified health care as his main concern.
Robertson, co-author of Class Warfare: The Assault on Canada’s Schools, said area residents are concerned about post-secondary education because many parents have children who already attend university or college or who will be attending these institutions shortly.
“(People feel) they have to choose between selling the house or sending their kids to university or saddling their kids with debt, when in fact it’s a public problem . . . and we’re not seeing any public solutions for that.”
Harb, for his part, said more money is needed for health care in Ottawa Centre.
“There’s still concern about having efficient emergency rooms, clinics in the communities, and health centres like the (Somerset West Community Health Centre) and the (Centretown Community Health Centre) as well as other centres throughout the community,” Harb said. “There’s a need for more investment in those centres.”