These incumbent MPs lost their races. Now, they're packing up and saying goodbye

The past point erstwhile NDP MP Peter Julian volition battalion erstwhile helium leaves his parliamentary bureau successful downtown Ottawa is simply a azygous steel-toed enactment boot.

For much than 20 years, the footwear has been sitting successful Julian's bureau — a beardown reminder of his absorption connected advocating for "the needs of regular moving people," helium said.

The footwear was the archetypal happening Julian unpacked erstwhile helium moved into the bureau 2 decades ago. Soon, it volition beryllium packed and flown crossed the state to British Columbia and reunited with its pair, which has been astatine Julian's constituency office.

"There's a symbolism successful it being archetypal but besides being last," Julian said. "They assistance to support maine grounded connected what's important."

Julian is 1 of astatine slightest 40 incumbent MPs who mislaid their spot successful the House of Commons past election. In interviews with CBC's The House, immoderate described the infinitesimal arsenic much than conscionable losing a job. It's the extremity of a section of their beingness they've spent years, adjacent decades, writing.

Julian mislaid his riding of New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville to Liberal Jake Sawatzky, 1 of the youngest incoming parliamentarians. When asked however he's feeling, Julian said he's "fine."

"This is democracy," helium told big Catherine Cullen. "Every election, you expect the worst and you enactment for the best."

Others are struggling. In the hallway extracurricular her parliamentary bureau successful Ottawa connected Thursday morning, erstwhile Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola teared up reasoning of the radical successful her Quebec riding of Beauport-Limoilou that she's "left behind."

"The hard worldly is not here," Vignola said arsenic she waited for House of Commons unit to travel and cheque her bureau was decently vacated. "The hard worldly is successful the riding."

More than 1,200 radical went to Vignola and her bureau looking for assistance immigrating to Canada. She said they signed papers giving her support to assistance with their cases.

But those papers were signed to Vignola and her squad — not the riding. Because she mislaid the caller national election, Vignola said the files person been "destroyed."

"I'm their past resort. I'm the past resource," Vignola said, her dependable wavering. "And present they person to bash it each implicit again with idiosyncratic else. I anticipation they'll instrumentality their situation[s] arsenic earnestly arsenic I did."

Two floors supra Vignola, erstwhile Nova Scotia Conservative MP Rick Perkins was packing up his ain office. The astir striking diagnostic was a lobster trap which Perkins said replaced a emblematic java table.

"All these dignitaries successful Ottawa, they each privation their representation taken successful beforehand of the lobster trap," Perkins said. "Not by the Canadian flag, but by the lobster trap."

The past 2 weeks person been "tough," Perkins said. "You person bully days erstwhile you're having changeless calls. The telephone ne'er stops ringing — well, it volition halt soon, but it's been ringing and it's heartfelt worldly from the riding."

The outgoing Nova Scotia MP said there's camaraderie betwixt him and different incumbent Conservatives who besides mislaid their races. Perkins besides said there's immoderate comfortableness successful knowing helium mislaid by thousands of votes.

"If I had mislaid by 12 votes, I would person been truly aggravated due to the fact that I could person knocked connected 1 oregon 2 much doors and possibly changed that." Perkins said.

Favourite moments successful office

Former Ontario Liberal MP Marc Serré says helium fondly remembers the caller Canadians helium saw astatine citizenship ceremonies — successful peculiar a Syrian exile household that settled successful Sudbury.

Serré said helium greeted the household astatine the airdrome erstwhile they landed successful January 2015.

"They started their ain restaurant, and the assemblage supported them. And conscionable that welcoming facet of [the community] was conscionable amazing. And arsenic a subordinate of Parliament, you volition ne'er hide that," Serré said.

Serré said the run was "very challenging" but he's hopeful for the aboriginal with the Liberals inactive successful power. He mislaid his riding of Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt to Conservative challenger Jim Belanger.

"There's a batch of anxiousness wrong the staff, evidently moving forward," Serré said. "Right now, I'm going to crook the leafage and commencement a caller chapter."

Vignola's item is helping idiosyncratic unafraid their citizenship aft years of delays due to the fact that their record had been mislaid by the national government. "We succeeded [in resolving] his lawsuit successful a month, which is simply a occurrence if you cognize however our migration is," she said with a laugh.

The man's folder fell betwixt 2 filing cabinets, Vignola said. She besides referenced different who waited for his woman to articulation him successful Canada for 3 years earlier she yet arrived.

"They came to my bureau to convey the squad and I. That was magical," Vignola said.

Partisanship and co-operation

When asked what he'll miss astir connected Parliament Hill, Perkins said "the people, my colleagues and I've made immoderate truly bully friends" similar erstwhile Ontario NDP MP Brian Masse.

The 2 worked unneurotic connected the House industry committee. Masse, who served successful Parliament for much than 20 years until helium mislaid his contention successful Windsor West, is simply a "really bully guy" and "a fantastic MP" according to Perkins.

Perkins said Masse offered to endorse him during the campaign. There was nary NDP campaigner successful Perkins's riding of South Shore-St. Margarets.

"I get a small affectional erstwhile I speech astir that due to the fact that that's the benignant of narration you tin make if you genuinely judge successful what you're doing and dainty different MPs with respect," Perkins said.

In a statement, Masse referenced "the associated efforts of MPs of each governmental backgrounds, and the galore times we recovered communal crushed for the betterment of Canada. Those comments stay connected the nationalist record."

Perkins besides highlighted Bill Blair's enactment erstwhile wildfires ripped done suburban Halifax and Shelburne County successful 2023. Blair was the exigency preparedness curate astatine the clip and got the resources Perkins's assemblage needed to combat the fires and prevention homes.

"The lines blur betwixt parties erstwhile you're trying to combat for your community," Perkins said.

Julian said helium enjoys the partisan broadside of authorities "when it's an honorable statement of ideas" but lamented that Canada could get a batch much done if much parliamentarians recognized their archetypal loyalty is to Canadians and gathering a amended country.

"We could walk bills each week with due examination. I don't disagree with the due introspection of [legislation], but the occupation is we are allowing that partisanship to artifact truthful galore things that could payment truthful galore Canadians."

Serré experienced the acheronian broadside of governmental divisions erstwhile helium was physically assaulted successful his run bureau during the 2021 national election. He told The House determination were besides protests astatine his home, which affected his family.

Despite those experiences, Serré said he's arrogant of the enactment he's done.

"I'd bash it again … I'd effort to fig retired a mode to woody with my idiosyncratic beingness a spot differently," Serré said. "But from an MP perspective, you gotta enactment your cervix retired and determination are consequences to that."

What comes next?

Serré said he's taking a breather but helium inactive wants to effort and find antithetic ways to physique up bluish Ontario, particularly the northeast.

"I'm inactive going to privation to marque a quality for my community, but contiguous I'll bash it a antithetic way. I deliberation being an MP — that section is closed," Serré said. "Maybe my opponents volition beryllium blessed to perceive that."

When asked what he'll bash next, Perkins said it was a "multimillion-dollar question." He's not definite whether he'll tally again, but successful the meantime helium wants to marque definite his unit find employment.

"I'll beryllium retired of this bureau by the extremity of adjacent week," Perkins said. "And past I'll start, erstwhile I'm done that, astir apt turning my attraction to what I bash next."

Vignola besides isn't definite what comes next. But she said possibly she'll spell backmost to teaching successful September. 

"This is the extremity of a chapter, and we'll spot what I constitute successful the adjacent one," Vignola said.

Julian said helium wants to stay engaged successful his community, and helium plans to sound connected doors successful the riding erstwhile helium completes the determination — which is taking up a batch of abstraction successful his mind.

"I've been unemployed for the archetypal clip since I was 12," Julian said with a chuckle. "But the whirlwind that comes with having to adjacent disconnected each of the offices and adjacent disconnected the flat [in Ottawa] doesn't let for reflection."

That idiosyncratic reflection volition travel aft May 20 — Julian's deadline to vacate his office. 

"I volition effort to marque a quality successful a antithetic way," Julian said. "It's specified an honour and a privilege to marque a quality successful people's lives."