Ottawa South

Ottawa South is a suburban riding in the southern part of the city of Ottawa, bounded by Highway 417 to the north, the Rideau River to the west, and extending south to encompass the growing community of Findlay Creek. One of the most reliably Liberal seats in Canada, the riding has elected a Liberal in every federal election since 1988 and has been represented by David McGuinty since 2004. Following the 2022 redistribution, Ottawa South lost the Billings Bridge and Mooney's Bay areas to Ottawa Centre but gained the fast-growing subdivision of Findlay Creek from the former Carleton riding.

Candidates

David McGuinty (Liberal) is the incumbent, first elected in 2004 and now serving his eighth consecutive term. Born and raised in Ottawa in a family of twelve, he is the brother of former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. McGuinty holds an extensive array of credentials: a diploma in agriculture from Kemptville College, a BA in English from the University of Ottawa, specialized diplomas in civil and comparative law from the Université de Sherbrooke, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics. He has served with the United Nations in West Africa, practised international law in London, worked with the International Development Law Organization in Rome, and was President and CEO of Canada's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. In Parliament, he chaired the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians from 2017 to 2024. He served as Minister of Public Safety heading into the 2025 election.

Blair Turner (Conservative) was born and raised in Ottawa South and has 20 years of experience in frontline policing, serving in investigative units focused on organized crime, human trafficking, and child exploitation. His father, the late Barry Turner, was the last Conservative elected in the riding, winning Ottawa--Carleton during the 1984 Mulroney sweep.

Hena Masjedee (NDP) is a first-generation Canadian whose parents fled the Taliban in Afghanistan. She holds a bachelor's degree in earth science from Carleton University and a master's degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Saskatchewan. She has spent seven years as a federal public servant working in international affairs and national security.

Nira Dookeran (Green Party) also stood as a candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Ottawa South is a diverse, middle-class suburban riding whose neighbourhoods span several decades of development. Alta Vista, Riverside Park, and Heron Park are established postwar communities with mature tree canopies and aging housing stock. South Keys and Greenboro, further south, developed in the 1980s and 1990s around the South Keys shopping centre and the transitway corridor. Findlay Creek, the riding's newest addition, is a rapidly growing subdivision of young families and new construction at Ottawa's southern edge.

The riding is notable for its ethnic and linguistic diversity. It has the highest Arab population of any Ontario riding, and census data reveal significant Mandarin, Spanish, and Somali-speaking communities. Nearly 20 percent of residents speak a language other than English or French most often at home. The federal public service is the dominant employer, with many residents working in government offices across the National Capital Region.

In 2025, the campaign in Ottawa South was shaped by the cost of living, healthcare access, and the concerns of a diverse electorate navigating economic uncertainty. Housing prices and rental costs climbed, squeezing families in a riding where household incomes are solidly middle class but increasingly stretched. Family physician shortages affected communities across the riding. The US trade dispute generated broader economic anxiety, though the riding's public-service-heavy economy provided some insulation from direct tariff impacts. For the riding's large newcomer population, immigration settlement services, credential recognition, and access to affordable childcare and language training remained pressing local concerns.