Kanata-Carleton candidates vie for voter support in Ontario election

Education and health care are among the top issues for voters in Kanata-Carleton and it could be a close race on election night. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

Since its creation in 2018, the Kanata-Carleton riding has seen support flip from a Progressive Conservative stronghold in Ottawa’s west-end, to a home for the Ontario Liberals.

The urban-rural riding includes the communities of Kanata, Carp, Kinburn, Fitzroy Harbour and Constance Bay.

Liberal incumbent Karen McCrimmon won her seat in a tight byelection in July of 2023, after former Progressive Conservative (PC) cabinet minister Merrilee Fullerton resigned.

Now, McCrimmon will look to defend her position against five competing candidates:

• Ontario NDP: Dave Belcher
• Ontario Party: Frank Jakubowski
• Ontario Progressive Conservatives: Scott Phelan
• Ontario Green Party: Dr. Jennifer Purdy
• New Blue Party: Elizabeth Watson

To drum up support, candidates have been canvassing the area, knocking on doors, and handing out flyers over the past few weeks.

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Voters in the riding tell CTV News they are focused on several key issues, not unlike many other voters across the province.

“The main thing is housing. That’s the concern for me. Affordable housing,” said Tony Goldsmith.

“Standing up to Trump. I think that’s an issue that we’re all concerned about,” said Janet Nicol.

“Healthcare issues. Funding in healthcare, staffing ratios as well, and nurses’ wages,” said Joani Ross.

“The economy and healthcare. Simple,” said Bob Shumsky.

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On top of election issues, some voters say they are unhappy with Doug Ford’s decision to call a snap election.

“What’s regrettable about a winter election or a snap election is that there is not much time to get out to all the candidate debates, and also for them to get out and knock on doors,” Shumsky said.

“It’s just a harder challenge and so, regrettably, you know very little about them.”

Tom Littlemore added, “I think it’s totally unnecessary at this point in time. I understand that the [U.S.] president is talking about putting tariffs on us, but I think this government has a mandate that hasn’t been fulfilled yet.”

“I think they could fulfill that mandate and still get re-elected.”

Of the six candidates running in Kanata-Carleton, four are with Ontario’s major parties.

Dave Belcher – Ontario NDP

Dave Belcher’s career has focused on education, joining the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) as a teacher in 2008.

He taught history and English at West Carleton Secondary School in Dunrobin, before taking on a full-time role with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation in 2020.

This is Belcher’s first time running for political office.

“We know that people are tired of the problems that we’re facing here in Ontario. We know that people are ready for a change, and we have to convince them that the NDP is offering them a better choice,” he told CTV News.

“The more people that come out to vote, the better chance we have of getting what we need, which is a new government here in Ontario.”

Belcher says healthcare and education are the top issues he is hearing from voters when out in the Kanata-Carleton riding knocking on doors.

“We’re looking at shortages of family doctors, underfunding of our healthcare system, underfunding of our education system. These are province-wide issues that effect people here,” he said.

“I’m coming in with a goal to re-prioritize public education and public services in this province. I think these are the foundation of a strong and healthy society and they are things I have fought for my entire career.”

Karen McCrimmon – Ontario Liberal Party

After serving in the Canadian Armed Forces for more than 30 years, McCrimmon retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2006.

She went on to serve as the Member of Parliament for Kanata-Carleton from 2015 to 2021.

McCrimmon won a narrow byelection in July 2023, earning the MPP seat in Kanata-Carleton by just 651 votes.

“The team is still going full throttle. I’m still going full throttle. We have to fight right until the very end,” she said.

“Over the time, I think I have proven to people that I am going to be here for them.”

When asked what she’s hearing from voters while canvassing the riding, McCrimmon says healthcare dominates the discussion.

“Wait times in emergency rooms, not being able to get scans and diagnostics, and special medical care,” she said.

“Family doctors far and away the most significant issue here. 11,000 people here in this riding alone don’t have a family doctor.”

Scott Phelan – Ontario Progressive Conservative Party

Scott Phelan currently serves as an Ottawa Catholic School Board trustee (OCSB).

He also has more than 25 years of experience in the private sector, working in the information technology space.

Phelan says he hopes to flip Kanata-Carleton from red to blue, after the byelection that saw just 35 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2023.

“I think in a byelection, things get a little bit different. It’s not advertised across the province as well. It’s sort of a micro-election that happens within the realms of the riding itself,” he said.

“Taking something that was originally blue and moving back to it is an excitement for us.”

Phelan says he too is hearing voter concerns surrounding the state of Ontario’s healthcare system, but that’s not all.

He pointed to the risk of a trade war between Canada and the U.S. and the impact that could have on employment in Kanata-Carleton and right across the province.

“We need people in this economy working. When people are working, the economy is moving, when the economy is in good shape, then we can focus on advancements in healthcare and advancements in education,” he said.

“Without people working, we could be in big trouble, and the cited tariffs or the threat that’s in front of us in early March, plays a serious role in this particular campaign.”

Dr. Jennifer Purdy – Ontario Green Party

Dr. Jennifer Purdy is a family physician and a 23-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces.

She also ran in the riding during the 2021 federal election, which was eventually won by Liberal MP Jenna Sudds.

In this election, Purdy says she hopes to see more voters come out to cast a ballot.

“I think we should all be at the point where we aren’t even telling people to vote for a certain party. If you want to vote Green, that would be wonderful, but what I want to see is a greater voter turnout,” she said.

“It’s our healthcare system. It’s our education system. We have a housing crisis. It’s our taxpayer dollars, but if we don’t vote, if we stay home, then it makes it harder to complain. We need that change. We need people to come out and vote.”

Purdy says she’s been busy hearing a wide range of concerns from voters in the riding.

“Healthcare is at the top of everyone’s list from what I have heard. Housing of course is a huge issue for many, affordability is big, and of course education as well,” she said.

“We have a platform that came out first, so people have had a chance to review it and see what we have to offer. It’s also fully costed.”

Roughly 51 per cent of the 88,389 eligible voters in Kanata-Carleton cast a ballot in the 2022 Ontario general election.

That was down from a little more than 62 per cent in 2018.

The Ontario election is on Feb. 27.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle