Jane Hobson, Centretown News
Catherine McKenna was elected in Ottawa Centre in a stunning upset.Liberal Catherine McKenna coasted to a stunning upset in Ottawa Centre, narrowly defeating incumbent NDP MP Paul Dewar and closely echoing the national outcome.
McKenna’s victory was unexpected.
Polls had predicted a close race between her and Dewar, who was first elected in 2006 and had been re-elected three times with increasing majorities.
McKenna, 44, finished with 32,111 votes and Dewar with 28,988. Damian Konstantinakos of the Conservative Party finished a distant third with 10, 943.
McKenna, a lawyer, addressed a boisterous group of supporters in Westboro, where supporters decked out in red shirts and party pins anxiously awaited McKenna’s arrival long before the results were announced.
When CBC News officially announced McKenna had won, the crowd broke out in its own rendition of Kool and The Gang’s “Celebration.”
“No one believed we could do it, but we showed them,” she exclaimed.
McKenna acknowledged her lengthy 522-day election campaign and its exhausting effects.
“We started this a long time ago,” said McKenna. “Together, we knocked on more than 100,000 doors, we made over 30,000 calls and we raised more money than any other riding association in the country.
“It’s not just about winning a campaign; it’s about showing that politics matters. It’s about fighting for more affordable housing for people in Ottawa Centre. It’s about making sure that we have respect for our public servants. It’s about working for more and better jobs for everyone who is having a tough time and make sure they have the opportunity to succeed.”
McKenna also stressed the teamwork and camaraderie between her and the other candidates.
“I think we should be a model for the rest of the country, that we don’t have to fight each other and we can have peaceful conversations about the issues that matter,” said McKenna.
With his family at his side, Dewar spoke to an adoring crowd of supporters at the Oriental Chu Shing restaurant in Chinatown following his loss. A visibly emotional crowd choked back tears as Dewar delivered an emotional speech.
Dewar changed the sombre mood to one of optimism and hope, calling on the crowd to “celebrate tonight,” stating that “It’s the end of cynicism . . . It’s time to have peace, good government, to celebrate public service we want passion to replace fear, we want enlightened debate and discussion to replace wedge politics.”
He spoke with McKenna over the phone after her victory. He told the audience he had “thanked her for a well-run campaign and congratulated her on her victory.”
Wrapping up the evening on a high note, Dewar addressed the crowd with a quote from Canadian novelist, Alistair MacLeod.
“All of us are better when we’re loved.’ So let’s go out and take care of each other, let’s love each other and let’s celebrate tonight – the end of cynicism. Let’s really, really embrace optimism, hope, and let’s get back to reconstructing our country in a way that we will all be proud of.”
“I really do congratulate the new government-elect and I want to make sure that all of us push them to continue to look for ways to make our country stand tall on the international stage.”
Ottawa Centre had the highest advance voter turnout in Canada. Residents had proven their allegiance to the Liberal Party for decades, until 2004 when former NDP leader Ed Broadbent captured the riding.
In 2006, after Broadbent retired, Dewar won the riding in a byelection.
In 2008, Ottawa Centre provided the NDP with its only seat in Eastern Ontario.
Nationally, Liberal Justin Trudeau emerged victorious with 184 seats.
“This, my friends, is what positive politics can do,” Trudeau told the jubilant crowd. “A positive, optimistic, hopeful vision of public life isn’t a naïve dream – it can be a powerful force for change.”
The Conservative party came second with 99 seats becoming the official opposition. Following the landslide loss, Harper announced his resignation from the Conservative leadership.
The NDP came up short of expectations with just 13-per-cent support with 44 seats.