As reports emerge of a tightening race in Pierre Poilievre’s Ottawa-area riding, Liberal and Conservative supporters are confident of their respective candidate’s chances of winning.
Supporters of the Liberals’ Bruce Fanjoy believe they have a chance of unseating the Conservative leader in Carleton, which Poilievre has held since 2004.
Meanwhile, Poilievre’s supporters say they’re confident he’ll keep the seat.
Still, both The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star reported last week the Conservatives were deploying a team of staffers to the riding to help Poilievre win a race some Ontario Progressive Conservative Party insiders have said could be closer than expected.
“I would like to see Pierre Poilievre be gone from politics,” said Bob Neske, who lives with his wife June in a quiet part of west Ottawa.
“Bruce is a super nice guy … We’ve been out canvassing almost every single day since the beginning.”
The retired military couple have thrown their support behind Fanjoy, who worked in business and marketing before stepping back to be a parent and volunteer.
June Neske said the two of them “have historically voted Conservative” but neither could support Poilievre.
Bob Neske said his opinion of Poilievre started to change in 2022 when the MP showed support for the convoy protest, which saw thousands of people descend on Ottawa with large trucks, protesting pandemic mandates and other government policies.
He added he wouldn’t be supporting the Liberals if former prime minister Justin Trudeau was still leader.
‘I don’t know if it’s that close’
One Conservative source told CBC News the party is confident Poilievre will take the seat, as he has for the past seven elections.
For Mike Medeiros, who runs a mushroom farm in the riding and is voting Conservative, reports of a tightening race don’t worry him.
“I don’t know if it’s that close, maybe it is. I think what’s happening too is we’ve got 91 candidates in our riding,” Medeiros said, referring to the high number of protest candidates running in Carleton.
Medeiros said affordability is top of mind for him this election, citing the high taxes he’s had to pay for his farm.
“I think the conservative voters will definitely come out and support their candidate who they’ve supported for the past 20 years,” he told CBC.
“Throughout the summer you’ll see [Poilievre] in the riding. He’ll pop in and buy some mushrooms once in a while … he’s definitely a great supporter of our local community.”
Medeiros added he hasn’t yet run into Fanjoy.
Huge turnout in advance voting
The riding’s candidates also include the NDP’s Beth Prokaska, a retired music teacher, and the Green Party’s Mark Watson, who’s founded several businesses.
Data released by Elections Canada shows nearly 44,000 votes were cast in Carleton during advanced polls, more than 40 per cent of the voters on the agency’s list.
While denying there’s any concerns in the riding, the Conservatives added a rally in Carleton to his schedule for Sunday night.
CBC asked for a comment from the Conservative leader but did not hear back by deadline.
Meanwhile, Fanjoy says the race is winnable.
“People will discover on election night that this is going to be a very close race,” he said. “That’s the message that we’re telling people.”
