The mayors of the National Capital Region are urging the federal party leaders, two of whom are running in Ottawa ridings, to take action in Ottawa and Gatineau by addressing a list of shared priorities.
In a joint letter, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Gatineau Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette have called on federal leaders to address key challenges that they deemed “critical” to the National Capital Region.
“This is a very important election for many reasons,” Sutcliffe said at a press conference at the Ottawa City Hall, noting the tariffs that the United States was set to impose on Canadian goods on April 2.
“But there are also some critically important, time-sensitive local issues for the National Capital Region in this campaign,” he added. “We need a strong indication during this campaign, and we need immediate action after the election to address the challenges faced by our region.”
The shared vision includes directions to revitalize downtown areas, prioritize PILT payments, support public service workers and fund public transit.
“The federal government is still not paying its fair share of property taxes to either Ottawa or Gatineau,” said Sutcliffe. “It continues to undervalue its properties, and local taxpayers in both our cities are being forced to make up the difference.”
The letter also requests investments and support for affordable housing and homelessness, regional governance through the National Capital Commission, and infrastructure and climate resilience.
In the letter, Sutcliffe and Marquis-Bissonnette stressed that the issues require federal involvement for long-term solutions. The letter was sent to both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Both major party leaders are running in Ottawa, with Poilievre hoping to hold his seat in Carleton and Carney announcing he will be seeking election in Nepean, taking over from former Liberal MP Chandra Arya.
Ottawa is primarily held by Liberal MPs, with Poilievre being the only exception. Liberal incumbents Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), Mona Fortier (Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester), Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans), Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West-Nepean), Jenna Sudds (Kanata) and David McGuinty (Ottawa South) are all seeking re-election. Naqvi will be facing off with Joel Harden, who is the NDP candidate and previously represented Ottawa Centre at Queen’s Park. This is his first year running federally.
Fortier has represented Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester (previously Ottawa-Vanier) since she was elected in a 2017 by-election. She also oversaw the public service as head of the Treasury Board from 2021-2023, including the 127,440 federal workers who call the National Capital Region home.
Asked by Ottawa Compass which local issues are top of mind for her, Fortier said her focus is on revitalizing the downtown core, securing long-term funding for public transit, and ensuring “fair support” for the City of Ottawa.
She said this includes “diversifying the Byward Market” and supporting small businesses —
“the backbone of our local economy” — as well as prioritizing housing solutions, which includes federal lands that have been provided for housing through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
“I will continue to collaborate with the City to create and protect jobs, bring down the cost of living, and build a strong economy to get us through these tough times,” she said.
Turning to the west end, before entering federal politics, Sudds served as the Ottawa city councillor for Kanata North from 2018-2021. Ottawa Compass asked her campaign how Sudds would advocate for the call to action from Sutcliffe, but the response wasn’t very specific.
“[Sudds] has a great working relationship with Mayor Sutcliffe and city council,” said Sudds’ spokesperson Geneviève Lemaire. “If re-elected, she will continue collaborating closely with them to tackle the issues that matter most to the people of Ottawa.”
Asked specifically about which issues Sudds will prioritize, Lemaire said listed “Trump tariffs, cost of living, job creation, safer communities”.
Lemaire also said that Sudds and Sutcliffe “may sometimes share different views on certain issues and the best way forward”, but that Sudds is committed to working together. She didn’t elaborate.
The party leaders and other local candidates did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
This article has been updated to include additional comments from candidates.
