Ottawa—Vanier

Ottawa—Vanier is a diverse urban riding in the national capital, stretching from the historic neighbourhoods of Lowertown and Sandy Hill near Parliament Hill eastward through New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe Park, Vanier, and Overbrook to Beacon Hill. It is one of the most linguistically diverse ridings in Ontario, with nearly half its residents bilingual in English and French according to the 2021 census. The riding spans an enormous economic range, from Rockcliffe Park—one of Ottawa’s wealthiest enclaves—to Vanier and Overbrook, neighbourhoods that have historically struggled with poverty, housing insecurity, and inadequate services. Ottawa—Vanier has been a Liberal stronghold at both the provincial and federal levels for decades.

Lucille Collard won the seat in a February 2020 by-election, continuing the riding’s Liberal tradition, and sought her first full-term mandate in 2022. Despite the Liberal Party’s collapse across much of the province, the riding’s deep Liberal roots and Collard’s local profile made it one of just eight seats the party retained.

Candidates

Lucille Collard (Liberal) — A lawyer who completed her law degree at the University of Ottawa in 1999, Collard practised international trade law with the NAFTA Secretariat, administrative law with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and served as a federal government civil litigator at the Federal Court of Canada. In 2003, she helped launch the francophone school Trille des Bois, which began as a pilot with 18 students and grew to serve approximately 600. She was elected as a school trustee for the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario in 2010 and eventually served as Chair of the Board.

Lyra Evans (NDP) — An Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee elected in 2018, Evans was the first openly transgender school board trustee in Canada. A University of Ottawa graduate with a background in environmental chemistry, she had volunteered with Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa, Kindspace, and Planned Parenthood Ottawa, and co-organized the Ottawa Dyke March for five years.

Patrick Mayangi (Progressive Conservative) — A Carleton University graduate with a master’s degree who is fluent in English, French, German, and Lingala, Mayangi had previously run in the 2020 Ottawa—Vanier by-election for the PC Party and contested a 2019 municipal by-election in Rideau-Rockcliffe. He had served in political staff roles within the Ontario government.

Christian Proulx (Green Party) — Born and raised in Ottawa—Vanier, Proulx is a licensed plumber, steamfitter, and site supervisor. A father of three, he volunteered as a Scout leader for eleven years and coached minor hockey. He campaigned on climate action, affordable housing, and sustainable neighbourhoods.

Eric Armstrong-Giroux ran for the Ontario Party, Michael Pastien for the New Blue Party, Coreen Corcoran for the Libertarian Party, Blake Hamilton for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party, and David McGruer for the Freedom Party.

Local Issues

Affordable housing was the most pressing concern in Ottawa—Vanier, particularly in the lower-income neighbourhoods of Vanier and Overbrook. The waitlist for social housing in Ottawa had grown dramatically, and community organizations like Action Housing, a francophone agency based in Vanier, reported surging demand for homelessness prevention services. New affordable housing projects were under construction, including a development at 256 St. Denis Street for Indigenous families, but advocates argued the pace of building fell far short of the need.

French-language service delivery was a persistent issue in this heavily bilingual riding. Residents reported that harm reduction, mental health, and homelessness services delivered by third-party organizations were often unavailable in French, effectively marginalizing francophone residents from essential supports. Collard had championed francophone education through her career, and the broader Franco-Ontarian community looked to this riding as a bellwether for the province’s commitment to French services.

The Freedom Convoy occupation in early 2022 also affected parts of the riding, particularly Lowertown and Sandy Hill, where residents experienced noise, traffic disruptions, and the economic fallout that extended beyond the downtown core. The experience intensified calls for better emergency preparedness and support for vulnerable populations in the capital’s urban core.