By Michael Connors and Louise Hayes
Along with the rest of Ontario, Ottawa Centre sprang no surprises on the Liberal government Nov. 27.
The election, which returned a strong Liberal majority government, saw the re-election as expected of longtime Liberal MP Mac Harb in Ottawa Centre. He defeated nine opponents to return to Parliament for the fourth time since 1988 when he wrested the seat from the NDP.
Harb said he won because voters in the district made a clear choice for the Liberal vision over that of the Canadian Alliance.
“That’s what this election (was) all about,” he said. “Do you want a strong government, or do you want a flexible government where the provinces run the show without checks and balances? We want to have national programs that are maintained and delivered by the provincial governments, but monitored by the federal government.”
The Canadian Alliance increased its share of the Ottawa Centre vote from 1997. Candidate David Brown finished third with 18 per cent of the vote, up from 12 per cent for the Reform Party three years ago. Brown campaigned for Alliance policies such as the flat tax and a less-interventionist government.
Harb said he planned to work for the things his constituents want, such as expanding the social safety net and creating jobs.
Despite Harb repeatedly asserting that the Ottawa Centre race would be between the Liberals and the Alliance, NDP candidate Heather-jane Robertson easily finished second with 24 per cent of the vote.
While that’s less than one per cent more than the New Democrats received in 1997, the margin between first and second narrowed. Harb took 40 per cent of the vote, five per cent less than last election.
This was mainly a result of lower voter-turnout in the riding. Only 53,463 Ottawa Centre residents cast their ballot, 4,570 fewer than in 1997. Harb received 4,717 less votes than last time.
“I thought it was a very dynamic campaign in which we made remarkable progress from previous results,” Robertson said. “I think we were able to tap into a community of people who want change.”
The NDP has always had strong support in the riding. The party held the riding until 1988 when Harb defeated incumbent Michael Cassidy.
Robertson stressed party growth and community ties on election night when addressing the crowd of about 200 NDP supporters at the Royal Canadian Legion on Kent Street.
“In this campaign, we have enlarged our core of volunteers,” she said. “With more than 400 volunteers, we have reached beyond the core of the party into the core of the community.”
About 50 of those volunteers were high school and university students, which bodes well for the future of the party in the riding.
Her supporters also included some disenchanted Liberals. They formed a group called Liberals for a Change and posted a sign near the Pretoria Bridge Nov. 20, calling for voters to send a message to government by voting for Robertson.
However, the group seems to have had little impact in an election where Robertson says the Liberals were able to capitalize nationally on a fear of the Alliance.
“If there was a party called ‘Not the Liberals’ running in Ottawa Centre, they would have won,” she said. “There was a significant reluctant Liberal vote and I hope very much that the prime minister is able to understand that much of his vote was deeply begrudged by the people who gave it to him.”