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Ottawa Citizen

Mona Fortier declares victory in Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester

Article content Fortier was first elected in a 2017 byelection after the death of longtime MP Mauril Bélanger. During the nomination race to run for the Liberals in that byelection, she beat 11 other candidates. When she won her seat, Fortier became the first woman to represent the riding. Article content Before she was elected, she was the chief director of communications and market development for Collège la Cité. Fortier also managed her own communications consulting firm. Article content She was re-elected in 2019 and chosen by then prime minister Justin Trudeau to serve as minister of middle-class prosperity. She was also re-elected in 2021 and became Treasury Board president shortly after. Article content Fortier was then shuffled out of that portfolio a few months after a public sector strike that saw more than 100,000 federal employees walk off the job. In 2024, she became chief government whip, a position she lost when Mark Carney became prime minister in March. Article content Article content Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester's riding boundaries have significantly changed since the last election in 2021 due to population shifts over the past decade. The 2025 election was the first under the new name and the first to include the east-end community of Blackburn Hamlet. Article content The neighbourhood was previously part of the riding of Orléans. Wythe said the community, where the Conservatives have 'historically had a lot of support,' made little difference in eroding the Liberals' dominance of the riding. Article content Article content The riding change will bring Fortier a new group of constituents with new priorities. Article content 'They fit in a great diverse riding, and I know that we'll be working together very closely,' she said of Blackburn Hamlet in an interview on April 16. Article content Article content Oliff, the NDP candidate for the riding, campaigned largely on community care and supports, including the need for a universal basic income and other housing supports. Article content Wythe brought a resume as a former public servant in defence, intelligence and foreign affairs roles. He campaigned on the importance of housing, cost-of-living issues and safe streets. Article content Article content Christian Proulx, the Green Party candidate, most recently ran to be MPP for Ottawa-Vanier in the recent Ontario election and was also the Green candidate in the riding for the 2021 federal election. He campaigned on the importance of climate action and green investments to make life more affordable. Article content