‘We slayed.’ Chandra Pasma wins Ottawa West-Nepean for a second time

By Vasileios Tselios and Duncan Roi

The race in Ottawa West-Nepean ended with NDP incumbent Chandra Pasma winning her seat in the Feb. 27 provincial election.

Pasma achieved her second win, beating Progressive Conservative candidate Husien Abu-Rayash and Liberal candidate Brett Szmul.

Compared to the previous provincial election, this win was much more definitive for Pasma, who was winning by more than 8,400 votes with 90 per cent of the polls reporting. In the 2022 provincial election, Pasma won her riding by a narrow margin of about 900 votes.

This time, Pasma was winning 49.7 per cent of the votes at deadline, while Abu-Rayash had 28.3 per cent. Liberal candidate Szmul was third with 17.8 per cent of the vote.

After a hard-fought campaign, Pasma addressed a crowd of supporters at the Barley Mow on Merivale Road, thanking voters, volunteers and staffers for their contributions.

“I’m so grateful for the people of Ottawa West-Nepean for putting their trust in me once again,” said Pasma. “All of you who volunteered, who knocked on doors, made phone calls, put up signs, and gave rides to the polls. You were absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for better comrades. We slayed.”

Pasma outlined her goals and ambitions for the upcoming term, describing “a province where everyone has a family doctor and gets the health care they need. A province where everyone has a home they can afford and can put groceries on the table.”

The NDP maintained both of their Ottawa ridings from last election, winning both Ottawa West-Nepean and Ottawa Centre.

The riding of Ottawa West-Nepean encompasses the area between Kanata and the outskirts of Ottawa Centre and Ottawa South. Algonquin College’s Ottawa campus is situated within the riding.

Ottawa West-Nepean is traditionally a Liberal or Conservative riding, with Pasma’s victory in 2022 marking the first NDP government in the riding’s history.

The neighbouring ridings of Ottawa South and Nepean both elected their Liberal candidates, as John Fraser and Tyler Watt won their respective elections. Watt managed to grab Nepean from the PCs.

The results came quickly on election night; CBC at 9:09 p.m. already called a PC majority.

In her speech, Pasma told supporters, “Our community has rejected Doug Ford’s bad deals and wasteful scandals and has instead opted for a hopeful positive image of our province.”

Meanwhile, Ford was celebrating his party’s third consecutive majority win in Toronto, telling his supporters they made history.

Ford said he won “a mandate to protect Ontario.”

“During my time in office, I hope I have proven that I will work with anyone, I will work with everyone to get things done,” Ford said in a speech. “Now, as we stare down the threat of Donald Trump’s tariffs, I will continue to do just that. Because fighting back against Donald Trump (and) standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort (and) it will take a full team Canada effort.”

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took to X to congratulate Ford on his third consecutive win as the PC candidate.