Ontario Votes 2018: Orléans
Has been a Liberal riding since the party swept the province under Dalton McGuinty in 2003
The Liberals are hoping to hold on to Orléans this election, an east Ottawa riding with a mix of urban and rural residents, a significant Francophone community and, according to census data, one of the fastest-growing populations in the city.
People in Orléans have a higher average income than elsewhere in the province and, as with other Ottawa ridings, a large proportion of workers are public servants.
- Scroll down for a closer look at who makes up the riding, or click here.
- Here's what people in Orléans are concerned about this election.
- Who is running in eastern Ontario? Check out this riding map.
The riding changed last year when Ontario shifted riding boundaries to increase the number of provincial representatives from 107 to 124. Orléans is now 25 per cent bigger, having gained territory from both the old riding of Nepean-Carleton as well as Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
Who's running?
Liberal incumbent Marie-France Lalonde was first elected to represent the riding in 2014, after fellow Liberal Phil McNeely retired. Under Kathleen Wynne, she served as minister of Community and Correctional Services.
The riding has been Liberal since 2003, when Dalton McGuinty led the party to victory over then-premier Ernie Eaves.
In the last election, Lalonde received more than half of the ballots cast in the riding, with the PC candidate taking in 33 per cent of the votes.
Cameron Montgomery, a former professor of education, is running for the PCs, and hoping the riding will once again swing with power should Doug Ford be elected premier.
In 2014, the NDP came in at a distant third, taking in less than 10 per cent of the vote. Barbara Zarboni, a retired financial advisor, is running for the party this election.
Also running in the riding are Green Party candidate Nicholas Lapierre, who works at Algonquin College, Gerald Bourdeau for the Ontario Libertarian Party, and independent candidate Samuel Schwisberg.
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- Ontario Votes 2018 | Complete coverage