Carleton

Carleton, a rapidly expanding riding on Ottawa’s western suburban and rural fringe, entered the 2025 election without an incumbent seeking re-election. Goldie Ghamari had represented the riding since 2018, winning a second term in 2022, but was removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus in June 2024 after what Premier Doug Ford’s office described as repeated serious lapses in judgement. Ghamari subsequently announced in January 2025 that she would not run again, opening the contest to new candidates. The riding, which takes in Stittsville, Richmond, Manotick, North Gower, and Osgoode, continued to experience significant residential growth during the 2022 to 2025 term, placing added pressure on roads, schools, and healthcare services.

Candidates

George Darouze (Progressive Conservative) — Darouze served as the Ottawa City Councillor for Osgoode Ward from 2014 until his entry into provincial politics. Originally from Lebanon, he immigrated to Canada in 1990 and settled in Greely. He holds a degree in telecommunications from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. After working a variety of jobs upon arrival in Canada, he built a career in telecommunications sales and management. He was nominated as the PC candidate in December 2024 with overwhelming support.

Brandon Bay (Liberal) — Bay is a software developer who spent six years working on healthcare and wellness solutions. He serves as president and chair of Make Housing Affordable, an advocacy organization. A resident of Riverside South, Bay previously served as chair of the Ontario Liberal Party’s Eastern Regional Policy Committee.

Sherin Faili (NDP) — Faili is a retired human resources professional living in Stittsville. She moved to Ottawa on an academic scholarship to the University of Ottawa, where she graduated with a degree in social sciences before building her career in human resources, policy, and planning.

Mystic Plaunt (Green Party), Rob Stocki (New Blue Party), Myles Dear (Ontario Party), Bruce Anthony Faulkner (Libertarian), and Brian Hull (Independent) also appeared on the ballot.

Local Issues

Healthcare access across the riding’s sprawling rural and suburban communities remained a pressing concern during the 2022 to 2025 term. Many residents in North Gower, Osgoode, and the growing corridors around Stittsville reported difficulty finding a family physician. The Kanata-Stittsville corridor, despite its surging population, still lacked a dedicated hospital or urgent care centre, forcing residents to travel to facilities in central Ottawa for emergency and specialist services.

Residential development continued at a rapid pace, particularly in Stittsville and Riverside South. New subdivisions brought thousands of new residents but strained local infrastructure, including roads and schools. The provincial government’s changes to planning policy, including a new Provincial Planning Statement that took effect in October 2024, raised concerns among agricultural landowners about the balance between urban boundary expansion and farmland preservation in the riding’s western reaches.

Housing affordability, once a relative advantage of the riding compared to Ottawa’s urban core, eroded during the term as land values and construction costs rose. Younger families drawn to the area’s newer communities found homeownership increasingly difficult. Traffic congestion on rural highways connecting communities to Ottawa’s urban centre remained a persistent frustration for commuters.