Toronto Centre

Toronto Centre was a compact, densely populated federal riding in the heart of downtown Toronto. The by-election was called after Liberal MP Bob Rae, the former interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and former Premier of Ontario, resigned his seat effective July 31, 2013. Rae left federal politics to become chief negotiator for James Bay area First Nations in their negotiations with the Ontario provincial government.

Candidates

Chrystia Freeland (Liberal) — Freeland was a journalist and author who had held senior editorial positions at the Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, and Thomson Reuters. Educated at Harvard University and the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, she authored several books including "Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else" (2012). She had served as Moscow bureau chief and Eastern Europe correspondent for the Financial Times.

Linda McQuaig (NDP) — McQuaig was a journalist, Toronto Star columnist, and author of numerous books on Canadian economic policy and inequality. She had previously worked as a reporter for The Globe and Mail and Maclean's magazine, winning a National Newspaper Award and a Centre for Investigative Journalism Award in 1989 for uncovering the Patti Starr affair.

Geoff Pollock (Conservative) — Pollock was a lawyer whose practice focused on civil litigation, wills and estates, and real estate. He was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate in September 2013.

John Deverell (Green Party) — Deverell ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Toronto Centre was one of the smallest federal ridings by area in Canada, measuring approximately six square kilometres, but one of the most densely populated. It encompassed a diverse collection of downtown neighbourhoods including Rosedale, Cabbagetown, St. James Town, Regent Park, the Church and Wellesley Village, Yorkville, and the eastern portion of the Financial District.

The riding contained striking contrasts in wealth and housing. Rosedale and Yorkville were among the most affluent neighbourhoods in Canada, while St. James Town was one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the country, home to many recent immigrants living in high-rise apartment towers. Regent Park was undergoing a major revitalization, with public housing being redeveloped into mixed-income communities.

The riding's economy was driven by financial services, professional services, education, health care, and the arts. Major institutions included parts of the University of Toronto campus, Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), several major hospitals, the Eaton Centre, and the Yonge Street commercial corridor. The riding had swung between Liberal and NDP representation over the preceding decades and was considered a bellwether for the two parties' relative urban strength.