Catherine McKenney to run for Ontario NDP in Ottawa Centre

Former Ottawa city councillor and mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney has been nominated as the Ontario NDP’s candidate for Ottawa Centre in the next provincial election.

The news comes a little more than a month after McKenney announced they would be seeking the nomination.

McKenney served as city councillor for Somerset Ward from 2014 to 2022.

In 2022, they ran for mayor in what was one of Ottawa’s tightest races in years. McKenney finished second with roughly 38 per cent of the vote, behind Mark Sutcliffe who ended up with just over 51 per cent.

In January 2023, McKenney co-founded CitySHAPES, a non-profit organization focused on the broad issue of improving cities.

A politician gestures in front of a podium.
Catherine McKenney delivers remarks during their concession speech at the end of Ottawa’s mayoral race in 2022. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Ottawa Centre has been held provincially by the NDP since 2018, but current MPP Joel Harden has submitted papers to run for the federal NDP in the next election.

The Ontario PC government’s four-year mandate does not expire until June 2026, although Premier Doug Ford has already mused about calling an early election.

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