Ottawa Conservative ridings targeted by strategic voting groups

Since 2006, Ottawa voters have not seen a lot of change to the federal political map but this election could see several ridings flip, and strategic voting groups are targeting these tight races.

• Strategic voting advocates go door to door in key ridings
• Strategic voting campaigns pit the heart against the mind

Local riding polls suggest four ridings have become hot two-way races between Conservative and Liberal candidates — and as a result have become the target of citizens' groups advocating for strategic voting to defeat the Conservative candidates.

Orleans and Ottawa West-Nepean went to the Conservatives last election, while the majority of voters in the newly-drawn ridings of Kanata-Carleton and Nepean also have a history of voting Conservative.

"I think that if we see the Liberals picking up these marginal seats, like Kanata-Carleton or Nepean then it is a strong indication the Liberals will be able to win swing ridings not just here but in other parts of Ontario," said Eric Grenier, CBC poll analyst.

Still, Grenier said the Conservatives have the strong advantage of history in those communities.

Strategic voting campaign grows

Early in the campaign just two Conservative-held ridings, Ottawa West-Nepean and Orleans, were considered possible gains for the opposition parties.

The Conservatives had won both ridings with less than 50 per cent of the vote, so groups like Ecology Ottawa and Vote Smart Orleans encouraged electors to consider pooling Liberal, NDP and Green Party votes to defeat the Tory candidate. 

Throughout the campaign Ecology Ottawa has been working with Leadnow, a national anti-Conservative organization, to raise money to encourage voters to back the candidate most likely to beat the Conservative.  

Now those groups have added the ridings of Kanata-Carleton and Nepean in their campaign.

A group called Kanata-Carleton Strategic Voting Committee, run by David Hollis Morgan, has been reaching out to voters in Kanata-Carleton to help defeat Conservative candidate Walter Pamic.

"In this riding, it's clear there is only one choice," said Morgan. "A vote for the NDP or the Greens is effectively a vote for the Conservatives, so we thought we'd tell it like it is."

NDP, Conservatives, Greens criticize strategic voting

Pamic is fighting back, spending part of the long weekend pulling up lawn signs that read, "Have you thought of voting strategically? This is the time." He replaced them with Conservative signs.  

​"I can't believe all the haters out there," he said. "People should vote for who they believe in."

At the door, NDP candidates like Marlene Rivier told voters strategic voting could mean backing the NDP as the party had been trending up in many Ottawa ridings in 2011, but with the NDP now down to third place in Ontario that argument is getting harder to sell.  

People should vote for who they believe in.- Conservative candidate Walter Pamic

Nancy Tremblay, the NDP candidate in Orleans, said she's getting tired of hearing voters questioning support for her party.

The Green Party candidate in Kanata-Carleton, Andrew West, said voters are being asked to cast a ballot against their conscience.  

"If you vote for a candidate you don't want, then you get an MP you don't want," said West.