Article content
Whether you’re tuning back in to the election news cycle after a weekend break, or just realizing there’s an election happening in less than a month — here’s a run-down of local political happenings over the last few days.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Team Liberal Huddles Up
The Liberal candidates in the National Capital Region are taking a strength-in-numbers approach to try to keep the capital red (of the 13 ridings in Ottawa-Gatineau, 12 elected Liberals in 2019.)
“Together, they are offering a vision for the region and Canada that builds on the Liberal government’s accomplishments since 2015,” states a press release, announcing their regional Grit team’s campaign launch.
It pledges that Liberals in the National Capital Region will, if elected, deliver on a range of items tailored to local interests, including investment in federal infrastructure, official languages, and local transportation and transit priorities; expanding the number of eligible child-care spaces for families in Quebec; and continuing support for small businesses and pandemic-battered economic sectors.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
New NDP Candidates
While the Liberals and Conservatives have announced candidates in every local riding, the other major parties have yet to fill every hole in their Ottawa slates. But they’re getting there, with the Elections Canada nominations process closing Aug. 30.
On Saturday morning, the local NDP riding association unveiled Yavar Hameed, a human rights lawyer, as their candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Meanwhile, Kevin Hua announced Sunday evening that he’d been nominated once again to be the NDP’s candidate in the Carleton riding. The Carleton University public affairs and policy management student ran in the last federal election, at age 18.
Displeasure in the Twitter-verse
Ottawa-Vanier Liberal incumbent Mona Fortier found herself in some hot water after local political advocacy group Courage Ottawa tweeted a picture of one of her election signs in front of a roadside homeless encampment.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Fortier thanked the group for bringing it to her attention, and for their advocacy. “Our signs are installed by a group of dedicated volunteers, who in this case made an error. I had the sign removed as soon as I became aware of its placement,” she tweeted.
The NDP’s candidate in Kanata–Carleton, Melissa Coenraad, also ruffled some feathers on the left with her Twitter response to the Ottawa Small Landlord Association, which was criticizing her involvement with advocacy group Horizon Ottawa, and suggesting she supported actions like rent strikes, and the “targeting” of small landlords.
“My parents are landlords along with others in my family. I would never target them! The inability/unwillingness for people to pay their rent is something the gov’t needs to address coming out of the pandemic. Landlords are business owners recovering from Covid (too),” Coenraad tweeted, saying she’s always happy to connect with landlords in the riding to hear their concerns.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
O’Toole Back in Ottawa
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole was back in his media studio at the Westin hotel in downtown Ottawa Monday, for an announcement fleshing out a platform promise to require large, federally regulated employers to include on their boards at least one person who represents workers, as a voting member.
On Monday night, O’Toole will host a “telephone town hall” with Ontarians at 6:45 p.m. The Conservative party has been streaming these live on YouTube.
Last week, O’Toole made his first campaign appearance on the streets of Ottawa. The Tory leader chose a Nepean neighbourhood as the backdrop for an announcement focused on his party’s housing pledges.
