Former Ottawa city councillor and 2022 mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney has announced they want to represent Ottawa Centre for the Ontario New Democratic Party. They made the announcement Thursday.
McKenney was first elected as councillor for Somerset Ward in 2014 and served until 2022 when they launched an unsuccessful bid for mayor. McKenney finished second with 119,241 votes behind Mark Sutcliffe who had 161,679 votes.
McKenney has long been a vocal advocate for Ottawa’s downtown and its residents, particularly during the convoy protest in 2022 and the ensuing Emergencies Act inquiry.
In January 2023, they co-founded CitySHAPES, a non-profit organization focused on the broad issue of improving cities, with local activist and former economist Neil Saravanamuttoo.
“I am running to be your next Member of Provincial Parliament because I believe we can continue this important work,” McKenney wrote on Instagram.
“We will fight to get the schools our families need, health care we deserve, housing that is affordable, transit that serves us well, and a strong and sustainable province that is focused on you!”
McKenney will need to win the nomination at an NDP nomination meeting. Joel Harden currently represents Ottawa Centre for the NDP. He was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
In March, Harden announced he had filed papers to seek nomination as a federal NDP candidate, but did not specify which riding.