Saturday March 22, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC] | Posted at 6:30 pm PT / Updated 6:51 pm PT
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Choosing to run in the nation’s capital, Mark Carney will be running as the Liberal candidate for the OTtawa-area riding of Nepean.
He had launched his leadership campaign in Edmonton and made a campaign stop there just a few days ago.
But clearly the action of the country is centralized in Ottawa, especially being available for dealing with the response to the trade war that the United States has undertaken against Canada.
The Ottawa lifestyle probably suits the 60-year-old world-traveled former bank governor in more ways than does representing a western Canada riding. It will certainly reduce his travel requirement for constituency appearances.
The Neapan riding borders the Carleton riding where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the MP and will also be running to be the next prime minister.
Tariff vantage point:
But it’s also a suitable location for being seen as within the nation’s capital when Carney takes part in trade issues with the United States during the April 2025 campaign.
Internationally-viewed photos of Carney on the campaign trail will have Ottawa as a backdrop.
US tariffs are evidently set to come into effect on April 2.
Ayra is out:
Another Liberal has been the MP for Nepean– Chandra Ayra who was also an early leadership contender for the Liberal Party — was eventually barred from participating in the leadership race with no reason given.
Two days ago Ayra’s nomination bid to run again in Nepean was revoked, again with no reason given.
The 62-year-old has been the MP for Neapan since 2015, all of that through the Trudeau era.
Election date will be called tomorrow:
Tomorrow Sunday March 23, Prime Minister Mark Carney will ask the Governor General to dissolve parliament.
The Writ will drop, and Canadians will be heading into the 45th Canadian general election.
The campaign will run for five weeks through to a General Election Day on Monday April 28. That’s the shortest (35-day) campaign period allowed for a federal election in Canada.
Campaigns can be as along as 51 days but a shorter campaign leaves less room for error on the active campaign trail — particularly for someone who has never before run for political office.
Now 343 federal ridings:
At dissolution, the seat count in the House of Commons (with 338 seats) will be Liberal 152, Conservative 120, Bloc 33, NDP 24, Green Party 2, Independent 3, and four vacant seats.
Currently the largest number of MPs represent electoral areas in Ontario (121), Quebec (78) and BC (42).
Of the 42 MPs elected in BC in the last election (in 2021), 12 are NDP (six of whom represent Vancouver Island ridings).
Due to population growth and some boundary revisions, there will be 343 seats in the House of Commons when Members of Parliament return after the April 2025 election.
===== RELATED:
- Fielding federal candidates in 343 ridings across the country (March 22, 2025)
- 45th federal election to be held on April 28 (March 22, 2025)
- Liberal vision to build ‘one strong economy’ in response to trade war (March 21, 2025)
- Carney & Premiers discuss interprovincial trade, economic infrastructure, more housing & being an energy superpower (March 21, 2025)
- Carney on tariff challenge: do things faster and at a different scale (March 20, 2025)
- Bank of Canada Governor: more uncertainty, tough decisions as trade war escalates (March 20, 2025)
- Jagmeet Singh launches south Vancouver Island NDP campaign office (March 13, 2025)
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