By John Dance
Last year voters in Old Ottawa East were called to the polls to cast ballots in the provincial and municipal races; this year the election cycle will be completed on October 21st when the federal election will be held. The candidates for the four major parties are now nominated and are already campaigning hard.
Incumbent Catherine McKenna, Liberal, is challenged by Emilie Taman of the New Democratic Party, Carol Clemenhagen of the Conservative Party and Angela Keller-Herzog of the Green Party. All candidates bring impressive resumés and energy to the race.
Brief snapshots of the candidates follow:
Carol Clemehagen, Conservative Party
Carol, lives in the Civic Hospital neighbourhood with spouse, Jacques Labelle. She was the first female president and CEO of the Canadian Hospital Association and also served as executive director of the Medical Research Council of Canada and on various health boards. She holds a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor of arts in political science and sociology from Carleton University.
She is seeking election because of “a growing alarm” about what she calls “the Liberal Government’s lack of fiscal responsibility, the negative impact that will have on debt burdens for future generations, and our ability to fund complex public priorities like health care and climate action and to cope with the shocks of an economic downturn.”
Angela Keller-Herzog, Green Party
Angela is an economist and community activist who has lived in the Glebe for over 25 years. She has worked in the non-profit sector, the service economy and the private sector as an economic consultant, manager and business owner. She co-founded the Ottawa Centre Refugee Action, led the Glashan Schoolyard Greening Project, and co-chaired the Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) network.
Keller-Herzog is “driven by a desire to create a more livable, prosperous and equitable world. She is running because “she thinks it is high time for bold and effective climate action. She believes that the time is now for a real shift towards a low-carbon economy, one that creates jobs and serves to make our society healthier and stronger.”
Catherine McKenna, Liberal Party
Catherine was first elected to Parliament in 2015 and is the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. A mother of three, McKenna is a long-time resident of the Glebe. She previously worked as a lawyer in Canada and Indonesia, was a negotiator with the UN mission in East Timor, taught at the Munk School of Global Affairs and co-founded Level Justice, a charitable organization. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto, the London School of Economics and McGill University.
She is seeking re-election because, she says, “There is more to do in Ottawa Centre, building on the results I have achieved for our riding, including funding for the Flora Footbridge, LRT Phase 2 and the central library, and the progress that has been made
Emilie Taman, New Democratic Party
Emilie is a former federal crown prosecutor, law professor and community activist, who lives in Old Ottawa South with her spouse and three children. Last year Taman was named one of the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Taman is the past president of the Old Ottawa South Community Association and sits on the Board of the Federation of Citizens’ Associations. She also co-hosts the award-winning podcast, The Docket.
Taman is seeking election “to build a fairer, more inclusive and sustainable world. She believes the issues of growing inequality, the climate crisis and the spread of racism, intolerance and hate require substantive action and the courage to challenge the status quo.”
In a forthcoming issue, The Mainstreeter will publish the candidates’ answers to a series of questions and will report on relevant all-candidates’ meetings, which the community associations within the riding, including OOECA, are now organizing. Details of the all-candidates’ meeting were not available as this issue of The Mainstreeter went to press.
