Joel Harden chosen to be the NDP candidate in Ottawa Centre

OTTAWA — New Democrats in Ottawa Centre have selected incumbent MPP Joel Harden to be their NDP candidate in the 2022 provincial election. Harden was a community organizer before his election as MPP for Ottawa Centre in 2018. Harden currently serves as the Official Opposition critic for Accessibility and Persons with Disabilities.

Quotes

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath
“Joel’s compassion, determination and community-mindedness make him an incredible advocate for his community. He has shown that Ottawa families don’t have to keep settling for less — they can elect more New Democrat MPPs like Joel. We can put crumbling schools, overcrowded hospitals and understaffed seniors’ homes in our past by investing in health care, home care, long-term care and education, and that’s what our NDP government will do in 2022.”

Joel Harden, NDP candidate for Ottawa Centre
“None of what we’ve been able to get done in Ottawa Centre would have been possible without the support of our talented team of staff and volunteers, and I’m glad to have local New Democrats backing my run for re-election. Faced with Doug Ford’s cuts, we have shown what is possible when we put community first in politics. What Ottawa Centre families need most right now is more help getting through the pandemic, and more hope — and Andrea Horwath and Ontario’s New Democrats are fighting for that support each and every day, including an evictions ban, paid sick days and rent subsidies for small businesses.”

Biography

• Harden is fighting for homes people can afford, paid sick days, action on the climate crisis and better seniors care, including proposing “Voula’s Law” to protect the rights of family members to visit their loved ones in care homes
• Harden has been a tireless advocate for people with disabilities, ensuring access to crucial services and therapies for people with disabilities during pandemic lockdowns and hosting the first opposition-led public consultation for people with disabilities at the Ontario Legislature
• Harden has helped save Pro Bono Ontario’s Ottawa free legal clinic, spoken up about Ottawa’s opioid crisis and spoken out against acts of hate and police violence
• Harden lives in Ottawa Centre with his family and takes pride in being deeply engaged with his community, whether he’s helping fill sandbags for flood victims or helping local activists keep community gardens open during the pandemic