Ottawa Centre is an urban provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1968. While the riding's boundaries (mainly to the south and west as the north and east borders have remained the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal, respectively) have changed over the years to account for population changes, the riding has always comprised the central areas of Ottawa, the nation's capital.

History

The district was created before the 1967 election. Since the 1999 election, the provincial district has had the same borders as the federal riding of Ottawa Centre.

It is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by Joel Harden of the Ontario NDP. The provincial riding has been won by the NDP nine times (1971, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1984 by-election, 1985, 1990, 2018 and 2022) and by the Liberals eight times (1967, 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2014) and never by the Conservatives or any other party.

Geography

The riding covers most of downtown Ottawa, including the Parliament Buildings. From the historic Rideau Canal, the riding stretches west encompassing the neighbourhoods of Downtown, Centretown (Centretown West which includes Little Italy is usually considered a distinct neighbourhood), Lebreton Flats, Mechanicsville, Hintonburg and Westboro. The riding encompasses additional neighbourhoods south of downtown, including The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Lees Avenue, Old Ottawa East and others.

Party support varies between different parts of the riding. The consistently best areas for the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) are Old Ottawa South, the Glebe, and Centretown. Old Ottawa South and the Glebe are also the main Green party areas. The suburban far south and west of the riding around Hog's Back and Carlingwood Park, the large homes near the Civic Hospital, the expensive homes and apartments by the Rideau Canal, and the more expensive downtown condos are the most strongly Liberal and Conservative areas. The major swing areas are the western portions of the riding such as Hintonburg and Westboro: while traditionally Liberal, these neighbourhoods have recently become stronger for the NDP.

Many public sector workers live in the riding. The northern part of the riding contains many government office buildings, including Parliament Hill. The riding also includes Carleton University and Saint Paul University's campuses and residences.

Members of Provincial Parliament

Ottawa Centre
Assembly	Years	Member		Party
*Riding created*
28th	1967–1971		Harold MacKenzie	Liberal
29th	1971–1975		Michael Cassidy	New Democratic
30th	1975–1977
31st	1977–1981
32nd	1981–1984
32nd	1984–1985		Evelyn Gigantes
33rd	1985–1987		Evelyn Gigantes
34th	1987–1990		Richard Patten	Liberal
35th	1990–1995		Evelyn Gigantes	New Democratic
36th	1995–1999		Richard Patten	Liberal
37th	1999–2003
38th	2003–2007
39th	2007–2011		Yasir Naqvi
40th	2011–2014
41st	2014–2018
42nd	2018–2022		Joel Harden	New Democratic
43rd	2022–present		Joel Harden

Election results

2022 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Joel Harden	30,311	54.34	+8.26
	Liberal	Katie Gibbs	12,596	22.58	-10.20
	Progressive Conservative	Scott Healey	8,773	15.73	-0.30
	Green	Shelby Bertrand	2,718	4.87	+1.35
	New Blue	Glen Armstrong	798	1.43
	None of the Above	Marc Adornato	233	0.42	-0.26
	Communist	Stuart Ryan	153	0.27	+0.10
	Independent	Thomas Borcsok	82	0.15
	People's Front	Raymond Samuels	59	0.11
	Independent	Josh Rachlis	58	0.10
Total valid votes			55,781	99.60
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			266	0.40
Turnout			56,047	55.82
Eligible voters			100,415
	New Democratic hold		Swing		+9.27
Source: Elections Ontario^[1]

v t e 2018 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Joel Harden	29,675	46.08	+25.69
	Liberal	Yasir Naqvi	21,111	32.78	-18.89
	Progressive Conservative	Colleen McCleery	10,327	16.03	-2.08
	Green	Cherie Wong	2,266	3.52	-4.22
	None of the Above	Marc Adornato	437	0.68
	Libertarian	Bruce A. Faulkner	385	0.60	-0.96
	Communist	Stuart Ryan	110	0.17	-0.35
	Canadians' Choice	James Sears	92	0.14
Total valid votes			64,403	100.0
	New Democratic gain from Liberal		Swing		+22.29
Source: Elections Ontario^[2]

v t e 2014 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Yasir Naqvi	27,689	52.02	+4.86
	New Democratic	Jennifer McKenzie	10,894	20.47	−8.74
	Progressive Conservative	Rob Dekker	9,678	18.18	−0.21
	Green	Kevin O'Donnell	4,163	7.82	+3.42
	Libertarian	Bruce A. Faulkner	525	0.99	+1.08
	Communist	Larry L. Wasslen	283	0.53	+0.21
Total valid votes			53,232	100.0	+5.74
	Liberal hold		Swing		+6.80
Source(s) "Election Night Results – General Election Results by District – 062, Ottawa Centre – Unofficial". Elections Ontario. Retrieved June 13, 2014.

v t e 2011 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Yasir Naqvi	23,646	46.81	+11.90	$ 102,168.00
	New Democratic	Anil Naidoo	14,715	29.13	−1.77	83,779.02
	Progressive Conservative	Rob Dekker	9,257	18.33	−1.59	27,933.58
	Green	Kevin O'Donnell	2,184	4.32	−8.03	5,902.64
	Independent	Kristina Chapman	309	0.61		3,418.00
	Libertarian	Michal Zeithammel	240	0.48		0.00
	Communist	Stuart Ryan	160	0.32	−0.07	394.11
Total valid votes / expense limit			50,511	100.00	−3.41	$ 112,575.19
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			290	0.57	−0.13
Turnout			50,801	53.74	−4.51
Eligible voters			94,533		+4.57
	Liberal hold		Swing		+6.34
Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate – October 6, 2011 General Election" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "Statistical Summary – General Elections 2011" ( Excel Spreadsheet). Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "2011 Candidate Campaign Returns (CR-1)". Retrieved May 28, 2014.

v t e 2007 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Yasir Naqvi	18,255	34.91	−10.19	$ 74,103.43
	New Democratic	Will Murray	16,161	30.90	+7.92	76,746.81
	Progressive Conservative	Trina Morissette	10,416	19.92	−2.77	41,039.06
	Green	Greg Laxton	6,458	12.35	+4.62	9,967.33
	Family Coalition	Danny Moran	516	0.99		627.00
	Independent	Richard Eveleigh	283	0.54		70.00
	Communist	Stuart Ryan	204	0.39	−0.23	928.61
Total valid votes/expense limit			52,293	100.0	+5.79	$ 97,635.24
Total rejected ballots			366	0.70	−0.02
Turnout			52,659	58.25	+2.62
Eligible voters			90,403		+1.00
Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate – October 10, 2007 General Election" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "Statistical Summary – General Elections 2007" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "2007 Candidate Campaign Returns (CR-1)". Retrieved May 28, 2014.

v t e 2003 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Richard Patten	22,295	45.10	+6.93	$ 72,458.74
	New Democratic	Jeff Atkinson	11,362	22.98	−2.48	49,598.63
	Progressive Conservative	Joe Varner	11,217	22.69	−10.05	17,112.70
	Green	Chris Bradshaw	3,821	7.73	+5.11	9,283.05
	Communist	Stuart Ryan	306	0.62	+0.25	878.30
	Freedom	Matt Szymanowicz	218	0.44		0.00
	Independent	Fakhry Guirguis	214	0.43		1,094.74
Total valid votes/expense limit			49,433	100.0	+5.08	$ 85,928.64
Total rejected ballots			360	0.72	−0.11
Turnout			49,793	55.63	+2.67
Eligible voters			89,509		−0.07
Source(s) "General Election of October 2, 2003 — Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "General Election of October 2, 2003 — Statistical Summary". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "2003 Candidate and Constituency Association Returns — Candidate Campaign Returns (CR-1)". Retrieved May 28, 2014.

v t e 1999 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Richard Patten	17,956	38.17	−1.09	$ 48,983.01
	Progressive Conservative	Ray Kostuch	15,403	32.74	+9.10	54,104.81
	New Democratic	Elisabeth Arnold	11,977	25.46	−7.77	58,863.46
	Green	Chris Bradshaw	1,231	2.62	+1.39	4,119.65
	Communist	Marvin Glass	174	0.37	−0.37	1,384.26
	Natural Law	Wayne Foster	170	0.36	−0.93	0.00
	Independent	Mistahi Corkill	132	0.28		0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			47,043	100.0	+65.64	$ 85,987.20
Total rejected ballots			395	0.83	−0.27
Turnout			47,438	52.96	−10.92
Eligible voters			89,570		+99.23
Source(s) "General Election of June 3 1999 — Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "General Election of June 3 1999 — Statistical Summary". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "1999 Summary of Income and Campaign Expenses – Candidate Campaign Returns (CR-1)". Retrieved May 28, 2014.

v t e 1995 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Richard Patten	11,150	39.26	+0.98	$ 44,245.00
	New Democratic	Evelyn Gigantes	9,438	33.23	−14.47	39,455.24
	Progressive Conservative	Chris Thompson	6,715	23.64	+14.70	31,048.00
	Natural Law	Ron Parker	365	1.29		0.00
	Green	Andrew Van Iterson	349	1.23	−0.66	200.00
	Communist	Malek Khouri	210	0.74		1,086.25
	Independent	John C. Turmel	173	0.61	+0.08	0.00
Total valid votes			28,400	100.0	−6.72
Total rejected ballots			317	1.10
Turnout			28,717	63.88
Eligible voters			44,958
Source(s) "General Election of June 8 1995 — Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "General Election of June 8 1995 — Statistical Summary". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014. "1995 Summary of Income and Campaign Expenses" ( Word'95 .doc). Retrieved May 28, 2014.

v t e 1990 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Evelyn Gigantes	14,522	47.70	+7.64
	Liberal	Richard Patten	11,656	38.28	−8.88
	Progressive Conservative	Alex Burney	2,723	8.94	−1.8
	Family Coalition	John Gray	809	2.66
	Green	Bill Hipwell	576	1.89
	Independent	John Turmel	160	0.53	−1.50
Total valid votes			30,446	100.0	+3.54

v t e 1987 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Patten	13,867	47.16	+21.20
	New Democratic	Evelyn Gigantes	11,780	40.06	−3.39
	Progressive Conservative	Greg Vezina	3,159	10.74	−18.51
	Independent	John Turmel	598	2.03	+0.70
Total valid votes			29,404	100.0	+7.46

v t e 1985 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Evelyn Gigantes	11,890	43.45	+1.69
	Progressive Conservative	Graham Bird	8,005	29.26	−0.77
	Liberal	Pat Legris	7,103	25.96	−0.65
	Independent	John Turmel	364	1.33	+0.87
Total valid votes			27,362	100.0	+39.95

v t e Ontario provincial by-election, December 13, 1984
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Evelyn Gigantes	8,165	41.76	+4.99
	Progressive Conservative	Graham Bird	5,870	30.02	−4.38
	Liberal	Lowell Green	5,202	26.61	−0.73
	Green	Greg Vezina	130	0.66
	Independent	Ray Joseph Cormier	94	0.48
	Independent	John Turmel	90	0.46	−1.02
Total valid votes			19,551	100.0	−22.83
By-election called following Michael Cassidy's resignation to run federally.

v t e 1981 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Michael Cassidy	9,316	36.77	−4.79
	Progressive Conservative	David Small	8,717	34.41	+2.25
	Liberal	Karl Feige	6,926	27.34	+2.47
	Independent	John Turmel	376	1.48
Total valid votes			25,335	100.0	−0.91

v t e 1977 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Michael Cassidy	10,626	41.56	+2.64
	Progressive Conservative	Brian Cameron	8,223	32.16	−0.62
	Liberal	Ian Kimmerly	6,358	24.87	−2.52
	Communist	Marvin Glass	360	1.41	+0.5
Total valid votes			25,567	100.0	−6.64

v t e 1975 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Michael Cassidy	10,658	38.92	+3.46
	Progressive Conservative	Gale Kerwin	8,978	32.78	−1.88
	Liberal	Gerald Kirby	7,500	27.39	−2.49
	Communist	Marvin Glass	250	0.91
Total valid votes			27,386	100.0	+20.26

v t e 1971 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Michael Cassidy	8,075	35.46	+17.59
	Progressive Conservative	Garry Guzzo	7,893	34.66	−4.4
	Liberal	Rudy Capogreco	6,804	29.88	−13.19
Total valid votes			22,772	100.0	+27.57

v t e 1967 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Harold MacKenzie	7,688	43.07
	Progressive Conservative	Ivan Sparks	6,973	39.06
	New Democratic	Ivan Greenberg	3,190	17.87
Total valid votes			17,851	100.0

2007 electoral reform referendum

2007 Ontario electoral reform referendum
Side		Votes	%
	First Past the Post	26,586	52.1
	Mixed Member Proportional	24,443	47.9
Total valid votes		51,029	100.0

Constituency associations

Sources

^ "Candidates in: Ottawa Centre (078)". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved 20 January 2019.

External links

Provincial ridings in Ontario

Provincial ridings in Ontario
Northern	Algoma—Manitoulin Kenora—Rainy River Kiiwetinoong Mushkegowuk—James Bay Nickel Belt Nipissing Parry Sound—Muskoka Sault Ste. Marie Sudbury Thunder Bay—Atikokan Thunder Bay—Superior North Timiskaming—Cochrane Timmins
Eastern	Bay of Quinte Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Hastings—Lennox and Addington Kingston and the Islands Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
Central	Barrie—Innisfil Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound Dufferin—Caledon Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock Northumberland—Peterborough South Peterborough—Kawartha Simcoe—Grey Simcoe North York—Simcoe
Midwestern	Brantford—Brant Cambridge Guelph Haldimand—Norfolk Huron—Bruce Kitchener Centre Kitchener—Conestoga Kitchener South—Hespeler Oxford Perth—Wellington Waterloo Wellington—Halton Hills
Southwestern	Chatham-Kent—Leamington Elgin—Middlesex—London Essex Lambton—Kent—Middlesex London—Fanshawe London North Centre London West Sarnia—Lambton Windsor—Tecumseh Windsor West
Peel	Brampton Centre Brampton East Brampton North Brampton South Brampton West Mississauga Centre Mississauga East—Cooksville Mississauga—Erin Mills Mississauga—Lakeshore Mississauga—Malton Mississauga—Streetsville
Hamilton, Halton, and Niagara	Burlington Flamborough—Glanbrook Hamilton Centre Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Hamilton Mountain Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas Milton Niagara Centre Niagara Falls Niagara West Oakville North—Burlington Oakville St. Catharines
Ottawa	Carleton Kanata—Carleton Nepean Orléans Ottawa Centre Ottawa South Ottawa—Vanier Ottawa West—Nepean
Durham and York	Ajax Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill Durham King—Vaughan Markham—Stouffville Markham—Thornhill Markham—Unionville Newmarket—Aurora Oshawa Pickering—Uxbridge Richmond Hill Thornhill Vaughan—Woodbridge Whitby
Toronto	Beaches—East York Davenport Don Valley East Don Valley North Don Valley West Eglinton—Lawrence Etobicoke Centre Etobicoke—Lakeshore Etobicoke North Humber River—Black Creek Parkdale—High Park Scarborough—Agincourt Scarborough Centre Scarborough—Guildwood Scarborough North Scarborough—Rouge Park Scarborough Southwest Spadina—Fort York Toronto Centre Toronto—Danforth Toronto—St. Paul's University—Rosedale Willowdale York Centre York South—Weston
See also: Federal ridings in Ontario List of elections Politics of Ontario