The candidates
Conservative: David Piccini, executive assistant to Conservative Trade Minister Ed Fast, has worked on both the political and policy sides of the federal government, including as an international market analyst and policy adviser. He is also head coach of the University of Ottawa men’s soccer team and a community organizer.
Website: www.davidpiccini.ca
Twitter: @DavidPiccini
Liberal (I): Originally from Mattawa, Mauril Bélanger came to Ottawa to attend university. Before being elected as an MP in 1995, he was assistant to a Liberal cabinet minister and chief of staff to the chair of the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton Peter Clark. As a politician, he has served as a member of former prime minister Paul Martin’s cabinet and is co-founder and chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association. Recently, he backed a bid to make the lyrics of O Canada more gender neutral.
Website: maurilbelanger.ca
Phone: 613-366-2766
Twitter: @Mauril_Belanger
Libertarian: Coreen Corcoran, a technical writer who has lived in the U.S. and the UK and now lives in Beacon Hill, is running for the Libertarian Party of Canada.
Website: libertarian.ca/candidate/coreen-corcoran
New Democrat: Even before it nominates a candidate, there has been a great deal of interest in the New Democratic Party in Ottawa-Vanier for the upcoming election. Emilie Taman, who was recently fired for defying a Public Service Commission decision denying her leave to seek nomination as the NDP candidate in the riding, is garnering much attention. The daughter of former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour, Taman has been endorsed by former party leader Ed Broadbent, among others.
There are two other candidates expected to stand for the nomination at the meeting scheduled for Aug. 25e: Angela Rickman, an environmentalist who works with the federal NDP and is a long-time resident of the riding; and Prosper M’Bemba-Meka, a toxicologist and cancer researcher who said his work has made him aware of the important of strong environmental policies.
The riding
Ottawa-Vanier — which contains some of the city’s wealthiest, as well as poorer, neighbourhoods — has been a solid Liberal bastion since it was created in 1935. In fact, the electoral district of Russell, which included most of the same constituency before Ottawa-Vanier was formed, elected a Liberal MP every year going back as far as 1887.
It is also the richest federal Liberal riding association in Canada, the only Grit riding to make the top 20 in Canada.
Home to 103,687 residents, Ottawa-Vanier includes a large francophone population in Vanier and is home to a large number of public servants.
Its north boundary stretches from the Rideau Canal to Green’s Creek, and is largely bounded in the south by Highway 417. A section of Beacon Hill South was added to the riding during the recent redistribution.
2011 results
Bélanger won with more than 38 per cent of the vote compared to 29 per cent for NDP candidate Trevor Haché. The Liberal numbers represented a drop of eight per cent from the 2008 election in which Bélanger earned 46 per cent of the vote, whereas the NDP numbers grew by more than 12 per cent in 2011. The Conservative candidate Rem Westland came a close third with 27 per cent of the vote, similar to the party’s numbers in 2008.
What to watch for
Ottawa-Vanier is considered one of the safest Liberal ridings, and its long-time incumbent Bélanger is also visible— one of the perks of having a riding so close to Parliament Hill. Its status as the richest Liberal riding association in the country indicates the level of support for the Liberal brand in the riding.
However, the possible entry of a high-profile NDP candidate with an interesting back story, especially given the party’s surge in the last election, makes it worth keeping an eye on. Taman’s entry into the race, should she win the nomination, could shake things up. Her decision to seek the candidacy, a move that cost her her job, has made headlines and directed some attention her way.
In pre-Orange Crush election preceding 2011, the Conservatives have traditionally come in second in Ottawa-Vanier. But even though Piccini has long been involved in the riding, a Conservative win would be a huge upset.
