The results are in, and as the Progressive Conservatives ushered in their third consecutive majority, the Liberals and NDP celebrated holding their Ottawa seats, with one exception.
Central Ottawa stayed Liberal and NDP, as usual, but there were a few surprises mixed in with last night’s results.
Here are the highlights:
Carleton
On the outskirts of the city, Ottawa city councillor George Darouze was elected to Carleton as a PC with nearly half of the vote. This was his first time running, and he took over from Goldie Ghamari, a former PC who was removed from caucus and ran in this election independently.
After serving as councillor of Osgoode ward at the City of Ottawa since 2014, Darouze will now represent the Carleton riding in Queen’s Park. Liberal candidate Brandon Bay was in second place but nearly 6,000 votes behind.
Of the eligible voters in Carleton, 47 per cent voted.
Kanata-Carleton
This riding was conservative until recently, when Liberal Karen McCrimmon won the seat in a 2023 by-election. It wasn’t clear if the switch had been a true show of support for the liberals or just a way for voters to send a message, but McCrimmon was successful again on Thursday, elected with 47 per cent of the vote. PC candidate Scott Phelan was 3,196 votes behind her.
The voter turnout in Kanata-Carleton was also a bit higher than the provincial average, with 48 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballot this year.
Nepean
After 19 years of PC leadership under MPP Lisa MacLeod, Nepean flipped last night, electing Liberal Tyler Watt to the legislature. MacLeod announced in September that she would not be seeking re-election.Â
Watt won 48 per cent of the vote, with his opponents split between the PCs (38 per cent) and the others, with the NDP picking up only 9 per cent. Here, 45 per cent of voters turned out.
Orléans
Liberal Stephen Blais held his seat in Orléans, where he has been since 2020. He took 54 per cent of the vote, with PC candidate Stéphan Plourde picking up on 35 per cent. 47 per cent of Orléans voters cast their ballot.
Ottawa Centre
Former city councillor and mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney secured the seat in Ottawa Centre, as expected. It’s where McKenney served as city councillor from 2014 to 2022 before running for mayor in 2022 and was previously held by longtime New Democrat MPP Joel Harden, who has announced he will be seeking the federal seat. Liberal strategists had hoped to use Harden’s absence to flip the seat.
Ottawa South
Liberal John Fraser held his seat in Ottawa South with 53 per cent of the vote, with the other votes split fairly evenly among his opponents. Fraser has held this seat for over 10 years and the other parties did not extend significant resources into attempting to flip it.
Of those eligible, only 42 per cent of voters in this riding turned out, which is among the lowest in the city.
Ottawa-Vanier
Another Liberal, Lucille Collard, also fought off the opposition in her riding, Ottawa Vanier. She took just over half of the vote, and the remaining votes were split by the NDP and the PC, leaving her in a firm lead. Ottawa-Vanier had the lowest voter turnout in Ottawa, though, with just under 40 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot.
Collard first won the seat in 2022.
Ottawa West-Nepean
NDP MPP Chandra Pasma held her seat here, where she was first elected in the 2022 election. In this riding, 45 per cent of voters turned out to the polls, and 49 per cent of them voted for Pasma. She was nearly 9,000 votes ahead of her closest opponent, PC candidate Husien Abu-Rayesh.
