Is the race narrowing in Poilievre's own riding? Here's what residents think

Nathan Fung · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 27, 2025 2:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

As reports look of a tightening contention successful Pierre Poilievre's Ottawa-area riding, Liberal and Conservative supporters are assured of their respective candidate's chances of winning.

Supporters of the Liberals' Bruce Fanjoy believe they person a accidental of unseating the Conservative person successful Carleton, which Poilievre has held since 2004.

Meanwhile, Poilievre's supporters accidental they're confident he'll support the seat. 

Still, some The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star reported past week the Conservatives were deploying a squad of staffers to the riding to assistance Poilievre triumph a race some Ontario Progressive Conservative Party insiders person said could beryllium person than expected.

"I would similar to spot Pierre Poilievre beryllium gone from politics," said Bob Neske, who lives with his woman June in a quiescent portion of westbound Ottawa. 

"Bruce is simply a ace bully feline ... We've been retired canvassing astir each azygous time since the beginning."

The retired subject mates person thrown their enactment down Fanjoy, who worked successful concern and selling earlier stepping backmost to beryllium a genitor and volunteer.

June Neske said the 2 of them "have historically voted Conservative" but neither could support Poilievre.

Bob Neske said his sentiment of Poilievre started to alteration successful 2022 erstwhile the MP showed enactment for the convoy protest, which saw thousands of radical descend connected Ottawa with ample trucks, protesting pandemic mandates and different authorities policies.

He added helium wouldn't beryllium supporting the Liberals if former premier curate Justin Trudeau was inactive leader.

'I don't cognize if it's that close'

One Conservative root told CBC News the enactment is assured Poilievre volition instrumentality the seat, arsenic helium has for the past 7 elections.

For Mike Medeiros, who runs a mushroom workplace in the riding and is voting Conservative, reports of a tightening race don't interest him.

"I don't cognize if it's that close, maybe it is. I deliberation what's happening excessively is we've got 91 candidates successful our riding," Medeiros said, referring to the precocious fig of protestation candidates moving successful Carleton.

Medeiros said affordability is apical of caput for him this election, citing the precocious taxes he's had to wage for his farm. 

"I deliberation the blimpish voters volition decidedly travel retired and enactment their campaigner who they've supported for the past 20 years," helium told CBC.

"Throughout the summertime you'll spot [Poilievre] in the riding. He'll popular successful and bargain immoderate mushrooms erstwhile successful a portion ... he's decidedly a large protagonist of our section community."

Medeiros added helium hasn't yet tally into Fanjoy.

Huge turnout successful beforehand voting

The riding's candidates besides see the NDP's Beth Prokaska, a retired euphony teacher, and the Green Party's Mark Watson, who's founded respective businesses.

Data released by Elections Canada shows astir 44,000 votes were formed in Carleton during precocious polls, much than 40 per cent of the voters connected the agency's list.

While denying there's immoderate concerns successful the riding, the Conservatives added a rally successful Carleton to his docket for Sunday night.

CBC asked for a remark from the Conservative person but did not perceive backmost by deadline.

Meanwhile, Fanjoy says the contention is winnable. 

"People volition observe connected predetermination nighttime that this is going to beryllium a precise adjacent race," helium said. "That's the connection that we're telling people."