Summary: NDP MP Paul Dewar has held this seat since 2006, and is seeking re-election to a fourth term. He’ll face Damian Konstantinakos, the same Conservative candidate who ran in 2011.
Boundaries: The riding is bordered by the Ottawa River to the north and the Rideau River to the southeast. The riding has always comprised the central areas of Ottawa, the nation’s capital.
Last Election: NDP Dewar won with 52.1 per cent of the vote, followed by Conservative Damian Konstantinakos with 21.7 per cent.
History: This riding has been represented in the House of Commons since 1968, and the NDP since 2004. It has changed hands between the Liberals and the NDP for almost the entire time. The only conservative ever elected here was PC MP Robert de Cotret, who won the seat in a 1978 by-election, and lost it to Liberal John Leslie Evans a year later.
Demographics: Median income is $39,769 (as of the 2011 National Household Survey), eighth highest in Ontario.
Candidates
Conservative: Damian Konstantinakos, engineer
NDP: Paul Dewar, MP since 2006
Liberal: Catherine McKenna, lawyer
Green: Thomas Milroy, human resources consultant
Communist: Stuart Ryan
Libertarian: Dean Harris, linguistics student, Carleton University
Marijuna: John Akpata
Rhino: Conrad Lukawski