Catherine McKenney was first elected as City Councillor for Somerset Ward in 2014 after years of experience as a political staffer and advisor. In 2023, they co-founded CitySHAPES, a non-profit dedicated to building stronger, more livable Canadian cities.
As a City Councillor, Catherine pushed the city to declare a housing and homelessness emergency, led the fight for a public inquiry into Ottawa’s LRT debacle, and stood up for downtown residents against the trucker convoy in 2022. Catherine is a fighter who knows Ontarians deserve better than Ford’s cuts and privatization.
Catherine also knows firsthand how life-changing good public services can be—that’s why they ran for MPP in Ottawa Centre. There was a time in Catherine’s life when they needed an affordable place to live and community housing was available to them. During this time they had access to childcare and affordable and reliable public transit. Because of these strong public services they were able to go back to university as a young adult at a time when tuition was affordable and didn’t leave them in lifelong debt.
But today, things have changed. Chronic underfunding has left Ontarians unable to rely on the services they need. Social housing waitlists stretch for years, affordable childcare is scarce, and transit is unreliable. Millions can’t find a family doctor, and students are packed into underfunded, overcrowded classrooms.
Catherine and the Ontario NDP believe in a better future—one where public services are well-funded and accessible, where housing is a right, where healthcare and education workers have the best working conditions in Canada, where transit is reliable and affordable, and where those struggling today have the chance to build a better tomorrow.
Catherine McKenney has served as MPP for Ottawa Centre and Shadow Minister for Housing since February 2025, and is proud to be fighting for their community at Queen’s Park.