Eleven federal public servants have formally put their hands up as candidates so far in this election, seven of them in ridings in and around the National Capital Region.

Those election candidates—all of whom have either been nominated to represent a party, or have launched a campaign as an independent—were granted permission to seek nomination or to be a candidate in a federal election by the Public Service Commission, as required under the Public Service Employment Act. Notices of the granting of permission—and of leave without pay during the election period—were published in the Canada Gazette: Part I. To date, 54 public servants have received permission  from the Public Service Commission to run for office.

Kethlande Pierre, a deputy director at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s National Client Service Centre within Innovation, Science and Economic Development, is running under the Conservative banner in Gatineau, Que. 

A recipient of the 2020 Woman of Influence Award from the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce and Accompagnement des femmes immigrantes de l’Outaouais, Pierre is also a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

According to her website’s biography, she was once under the care of Quebec’s youth protection service, and “now gives back as a foster parent” for the service.

The Conservatives placed third in Gatineau in 2021, behind the Bloc Québécois and winning Liberal candidate Steven MacKinnon. 

Pierre is one of five public servants to run as Conservative candidates so far in this election: three in Quebec ridings, two in Ontario.

Fellow Quebecer David de Repentigny, a Border Services Officer at the Canada Border Services Agency, will contest Châteauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville, Que., for the blue party. On his campaign website, de Repentigny says he has worked at CBSA for 20 years, during which he has been involved in “management, health and safety, union representation, and the employee assistance program,” with his commitment leading to the implementation of defibrillators at border crossings.”

The Conservatives placed a distant third in the constituency then known as Châteauguay–Lacolle in 2021, behind Liberal candidate Brenda Shanahan and Bloc Québécois candidate Patrick O’Hara.

On the island of Montreal, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada employee Néhémie Dumay will contest Bourassa, Que., for the Conservatives. The Tories came fourth in Bourassa in 2021, with Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg commanding 60.4 per cent of the vote. 

In Ontario, Kingston mayor Bryan Paterson will be the Conservative candidate in Kingston and the Islands. As an assistant professor of economics at the Royal Military College of Canada, Paterson required permission under the Public Service Employment Act to be a party nominee and an election candidate.

Kingston and the Islands has been held by the Liberals since 1988. Incumbent MP Mark Gerretsen is reoffering in the 2025 election.

To the northeast, fellow Conservative candidate Dean Wythe will attempt to dislodge former Treasury Board president Mona Fortier in Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, Ont., a riding that has voted red at every election since 1935.

Wythe is a senior policy adviser in the regional security and defence relations division of Global Affairs Canada’s International Security Policy and Strategic Affairs Bureau. The bureau co-ordinates international and defence policy with the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, handles non-proliferation and disarmament policy, and manages Canada’s membership in multilateral security and defence organizations, according to a National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report.

According to his website biography, Wythe “has also shown a strong commitment to his community, volunteering with organizations that support Indigenous youth, Canadian Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and public servants.”

As with Gatineau, the Conservatives placed third in what was then known as Ottawa–Vanier in 2021, behind Fortier and the second-place NDP.

Wythe will also run against Independent Elizabeth Benoit, who according to her LinkedIn profile, is currently an Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch Employment Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ambassador at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Benoit’s website touts her experience in the federal public service: “Drawing on extensive policy experience as a Programs Leader across the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and other federal departments, Elizabeth has built a multifaceted career spanning equity initiatives and major infrastructure projects.”

In the adjacent riding of Ottawa Centre, Ont., Transport Canada policy analyst Amanda Rosenstock is running as the Green Party candidate. Rosenstock has been working on the high frequency rail project—now a high-speed rail initiative—since February 2024.

This is Rosenstock’s second election campaign. In 2021, she ran for the Green Party in Spadina–Fort York, Ont., placing fourth behind dis-endorsed Liberal Kevin Vuong, the NDP, and the Conservatives. The party placed in the same position in Ottawa Centre in 2021 with Angela Keller-Herzog, behind Liberal Yasir Naqvi, the NDP, and Conservatives.

The NDP has selected Ali Bahman, a program policy analyst at Transport Canada’s Innovation Centre group, as the party’s candidate in the GTA riding of Vaughan–Woodbridge, Ont. Bahman’s party bio notes that he has also worked at Global Affairs and National Defence.

Liberal Francesco Sorbara has held Vaughan–Woodbridge since it was first contested in 2015, with the Conservative candidate placing second and the NDP third in every election. Sorbara has reoffered in this election, where he will seek to retain the seat against challenges from Bahman, Conservative Michael Guglielmin, and the People’s Party’s Roman Yevseyev. 

In Ottawa’s east end, Tafiqul Abu Mohammad will contest Orléans, Ont., for the People’s Party. An IT technical adviser at Finance Canada’s Corporate Service’s branch, Mohammad previously worked at CBSA, Global Affairs, and CRA. PPC came a distant fourth in the riding in 2021, achieving 2.72 per cent of the vote against the Liberal, Conservative, and NDP’s double-digit turnouts.

The PPC is also turning to a public servant as its candidate in the neighbouring riding of Prescott–Russell–Cumberland, Ont. Deborah Perrier, currently working at the CRA, also has more than three decades’ experience as a nurse, according to her party bio. 

As with Orléans, the PPC came a distant fourth in the 2021 election in what was then known as Glengarry–Prescott–Russell. This time, Perrier will face off against Giovanna Mingarelli, who will seek to hold the riding for the Liberals following the departure of MP Francis Drouin; Conservative Julie Seguin; and NDP candidate Ryder Finlay.

Rounding out the public servants who have declared their candidacy so far is Sean Mulligan, the Christian Heritage candidate for Ottawa West–Nepean, Ont. Also the party’s candidate in 2019 and 2021, Mulligan currently works for the passport division of Service Canada, according to his party bio.

This story was updated on April 4 to note that the 11 confirmed candidates are among 54 public servants who have received permission from the Public Service Commission to run for office in the federal election.

sjeffery@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times