Election Roundtables: 2025 Federal Election

April 23, 2025 • Jewish Federation of Ottawa

Candidates address issues of concern to Jewish Canadians

In this edition of the Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin, we share conversations with candidates from three major federal parties ahead of the April 28 election. These discussions were guided by questions informed by community concerns, as identified by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). Each participating candidate had the opportunity to speak to the critical issues facing Jews in Canada today.

We are grateful to the candidates who took the time to meet with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and engage meaningfully with our community.

Eight Liberal candidates, Bruce Fanjoy (Carleton), Greg Fergus (Hull–Aylmer), Mona Fortier (Ottawa–Vanier–Gloucester), David McGuinty (Ottawa South), Giovanna Mingarelli (Prescott–Russell–Cumberland), Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), Jenna Sudds (Kanata), and Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West–Nepean) addressed community concerns around safety, antisemitism, and Canada–Israel relations while re-affirming past commitments to Canada's Jewish community.

Six local Conservative candidates, Barbara Bal (Nepean), Ryan Telford (Ottawa West-Nepean), Steve Mansour (Orleans), Dean Wythe (Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester), Greg Kung (Kanata), and Blair Turner (Ottawa South) met with Federation to discuss community safety, rising hate crimes, antisemitism, and Canada–Israel relations, committing themselves to work hard for Canada's Jewish community if elected. Much of the conversation pertained to policing and fighting the spread of harmful rhetoric online.

Only Josh Bizjak (Ottawa West-Nepean) of the NDP was available to meet with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa discuss the concerns of Jewish Ottawa. The discussion ranged from bubble legislation to the concerning number of NDP candidates endorsing the Vote Palestine platform.

Due to scheduling constraints and limited time, Green Party candidates were not invited to participate in the Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s roundtable discussions. This article will instead focus on the party’s platform and public statements related to issues of concern to Jewish Ottawans.

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