They’re out of the gate. And with the 2019 federal election campaign now officially underway, here are some interesting tidbits (and a tiny bit of practical information) for national capital voters:

  • Of the eight Ottawa federal ridings, seven are currently held by the Liberal Party of Canada. The eighth, Carleton riding, is held by Conservative Pierre Poilievre.
  • The three local ridings in West Quebec are all currently held by Liberals.
  • The riding thought to be Ottawa’s “safest” – that is, the riding one party has basically dominated for decades – is Ottawa-Vanier. It has voted Liberal since 1935.
  • Only one MP from Ottawa is as a full-fledged cabinet minister: Catherine McKenna of Ottawa Centre, who has held the environment portfolio since her election in 2015.
  • The current gender breakdown of the eight MPs in Ottawa is: four male, four female.
  • The longest-serving in Ottawa are Conservative Poilievre, now in Carleton riding, and Liberal David McGuinty, in Ottawa South. Both were first elected in 2004.  McGuinty is the brother of former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty.
  • Andrew Sheer, leader of the Official Opposition and MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle, is actually from Ottawa. He was born here and attended school and university here.
  • Ottawa Centre, currently held by McKenna, has vacillated between the Liberals and the NDP for decades. Before McKenna’s election in 2015, Ottawa Centre was held by New Democrat Paul Dewar. (Before that, former NDP leader Ed Broadbent held the riding, and before him, Liberal Mac Harb). The last time a Conservative held the riding was in 1978-79 (Robert de Cotret, for the Progressive Conservatives). The riding is held at the provincial level by the NDP’s Joel Harden.
  • Candidates have until Oct. 1 to formally register, so you may not see a full, final list of who’s running in your riding for another few weeks.
  • While election day itself is Monday, Oct. 21, advance polls will be open Oct. 11, 12, 13 and 14.  You must be a Canadian citizen to vote.

Everything you need to know to vote can be found here.

More Stories