Orléans

Orléans is a suburban riding in eastern Ottawa, a predominantly francophone and bilingual community that has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the national capital region. The riding stretches across the neighbourhoods of Orléans, Chaperal, and parts of Cumberland, home to many federal public servants and young families. Stephen Blais won the seat for the Liberals in a February 2020 by-election with 55 per cent of the vote, capturing it by more than 8,000 votes over his nearest rival. A former Ottawa city councillor for Cumberland Ward from 2010 to 2020 and former Chair of the City of Ottawa Transit Commission, Blais brought deep municipal experience to Queen’s Park.

The 2022 general election was Blais’s first full provincial campaign, and he faced a field of seven candidates. In a province that swung heavily to the Progressive Conservatives, Orléans was one of just eight ridings to return a Liberal MPP, reflecting the riding’s traditional Liberal leanings and Blais’s local profile.

Candidates

Stephen Blais (Liberal) — Born in Ottawa and raised in the Queenswood Heights neighbourhood of Orléans, Blais holds an honours degree in political science from the University of Ottawa. He served as an Ottawa Catholic School Board trustee before being elected city councillor for Cumberland in 2010, where he served three terms. As councillor, he secured an environmental assessment for the Highway 174 widening and championed extending light rail transit to Orléans.

Melissa Felián (Progressive Conservative) — A Franco-Ontarian with a master’s degree in public and international affairs from York University, Felián moved to Ottawa to work in the federal public service. She had previously been a Conservative candidate in Markham–Thornhill during the 2021 federal election.

Gabe Bourdon (NDP) — A lifelong Orléans resident and local labour leader with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Bourdon founded and co-chaired PSAC’s National Capital Region Young Workers Committee. A Franco-Ontarian, he campaigned on improving health care and seniors’ care and expanding French-language services.

Michelle Petersen (Green Party) — Petersen ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

Liam Randall ran for the New Blue Party, Vince Clements for the Ontario Party, and Ken Lewis for the Libertarian Party.

Local Issues

The most prominent local issue was the long-delayed extension of Ottawa’s Confederation Line light rail transit to Orléans. Originally promised for completion by 2022 when the project was announced in 2017, the LRT eastern extension was pushed back to 2024 and beyond. The 12.5-kilometre extension, with five new stations running along the Highway 174 median, was meant to relieve chronic congestion for east-end commuters, but years of construction disruptions, lane closures on Highway 174, and delays eroded public confidence in the timeline.

Transportation more broadly was a major frustration. Weekend lane closures on Highway 174 between downtown Ottawa and Orléans slowed traffic through key exits at Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard and Place d’Orléans, while the existing bus rapid transit service was insufficient for the area’s growing population. Blais had secured an environmental assessment for the Highway 174 widening during his time as city councillor, but provincial funding and construction timelines remained uncertain.

French-language services were also a concern in this bilingual community. Franco-Ontarian residents advocated for better access to government services, education, and health care in French, and this issue resonated in a riding where a substantial proportion of the population speaks French at home. Health care access and seniors’ care rounded out the list of local priorities, with residents concerned about the capacity of Ottawa’s hospital system after years of pandemic strain.