Ottawa Centre

Ottawa Centre takes in the urban heart of Canada’s capital, including the downtown core around Parliament Hill, Centretown, the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Hintonburg, and parts of Little Italy. It is one of Ontario’s most progressive ridings, home to a mix of federal public servants, university students, and urban professionals. Joel Harden of the NDP had held the seat since 2018, but he departed provincial politics to pursue the federal NDP nomination, leaving the riding open. The Ontario NDP turned to Catherine McKenney, a former Ottawa city councillor for Somerset Ward from 2014 to 2022 who had placed second in the 2022 Ottawa mayoral race, as their candidate. McKenney’s high public profile and deep community roots made them the immediate frontrunner in the riding.

The 2025 contest drew eight candidates, but the race centered on whether McKenney’s municipal name recognition would translate into a commanding provincial victory, and whether the Liberals or Conservatives could mount a credible challenge in a riding that had trended NDP since 2018.

Candidates

Catherine McKenney (NDP) — A former Ottawa city councillor who represented Somerset Ward from 2014 to 2022, McKenney ran for mayor of Ottawa in 2022, finishing second. In January 2023, they co-founded CitySHAPES, a non-profit organization focused on climate change, active transportation, affordable housing, and ending chronic homelessness. They were nominated as the NDP candidate in November 2024 after Joel Harden moved to federal politics.

Thomas Simpson (Liberal) — A former federal public servant who served as vice president at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Simpson also chaired Lupus Canada and previously worked as a policy officer at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. He campaigned on health care, housing, and uploading Ottawa’s troubled LRT system to provincial management.

Scott Healey (Progressive Conservative) — A 40-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy who served two command tours at sea and a deployment in Afghanistan, Healey holds a degree in history from York University. He serves on the board of the Friends of the Canadian War Museum and as president of HMCS Bytown. He ran for the second consecutive election as the PC candidate in Ottawa Centre.

Simon Beckett (Green Party) — A small business owner who operates a property management company in Ottawa, Beckett is also a former dancer and choreographer who works with schools and community centres to deliver arts programming. He campaigned on affordable housing, mental health services, and practical solutions to the housing crisis.

Maria Desouza ran for the New Blue Party, Shannon Boschy for the Ontario Party, Cashton Perry for the Communist Party, and Josh Rachlis as an independent.

Local Issues

Ottawa’s light rail transit system remained a source of deep frustration for residents of Ottawa Centre throughout the 2022–2025 term. The Confederation Line experienced a major shutdown in July 2023 after axle bearing failures were discovered across the fleet, taking the system out of service for nearly a month. The incident followed previous derailments and mechanical failures, and a Transportation Safety Board report noted that design issues continued to pose safety risks. The costly and troubled LRT system became a symbol of infrastructure mismanagement, and the Liberal candidate’s proposal to upload the system to provincial responsibility reflected broad public dissatisfaction.

Homelessness and the housing affordability crisis intensified visibly in Ottawa Centre’s downtown neighbourhoods. Encampments, rising shelter demand driven in part by a surge of newcomers beginning in mid-2023, and an overstretched shelter system brought the crisis to the forefront of local debate. The city’s 2024 Point-in-Time Count documented continued growth in the number of people experiencing homelessness, including a significant francophone population.

The new Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus, a major acute care facility planned for a site near Dow’s Lake, remained in the planning stage with unresolved questions about its final cost and design. The original $2.8-billion budget and 2028 opening target were both under pressure, as only a single construction bid had been received. The connection between the new hospital and the Trillium Line LRT extension had yet to be finalized, raising concerns about patient and staff accessibility.