“Hi, I’m Emma Harrison. I’m the MP.”
Peterborough has reaffirmed its reputation as a bellwether riding, with Liberal candidate and political neophyte Emma Harrison unseating Conservative incumbent Michelle Ferreri as the Liberals led by Mark Carney will form their fourth consecutive government — a remarkable comeback given that only five months ago their defeat at the polls under Justin Trudeau seemed inevitable.
That said, the Conservative incumbents in the three other ridings in the Kawarthas region — Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland-Clarke, and Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga — will hold onto their seats, and it appears the Carney will not have the strong mandate he was seeking from Canadians to deal with the threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the early morning hours after election day on Monday, it appears a minority Liberal government is likely. The Liberals were elected or leading in 166 seats and the Conservatives in 146, with the Bloc Québécois holding the balance of power with 23 seats.
Meanwhile, support for the NDP has collapsed, leaving them with only seven seats instead of the 24 seats they held before the election — and without the 12 seats needed for official party status. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced his resignation after the results and after losing his own B.C. riding. The Green Party has a single seat.
If the Liberals fail to gain the 172 seats required for a majority, they will need to depend on support from the Bloc Québécois to avoid being defeated during in any non-confidence motions.
In Peterborough, Harrison held an early lead over Ferreri when the first polls reported, and maintained and then widened that lead as the evening went on. Strategic voting clearly played a large role in Harrison’s victory, with NDP candidate Heather Ray receiving only 2,385 votes.
By comparison, NDP candidate Joy Lachica received 13,302 votes in the 2021 election, allowing Ferreri — who herself was a political neophyte at the time — to unseat Liberal incumbent Maryam Monsef by 2,738 votes, receiving 27,402 votes to Monsef’s 24,664.
Harrison, who defeated Ferreri by over 10,000 votes (42,427 to 32,267), celebrated her win before a crowd of jubilant supporters at the Canadian Canoe Museum.
“I have been saying this line, this whole time, anytime I have to introduce myself — everywhere I go I say ‘Hi, I’m Emma Harrison, blah blah blah’,” Harrison said during her victory speech. “But now I get to say, ‘Hi, I’m Emma Harrison. I’m the MP.'”
“The theme of this whole speech is going to be, this is not really about me — at all. This whole campaign is built on so many incredible people and all of their efforts, from our volunteers, our incredible campaign manager Andy Mitchell … people keep thanking me but there are so many people who should be thanked, and that’s everyone in this room, the people of Peterborough who understood how important this election was, not only nationally but in our community.”
“Thank you to Peterborough city and county for giving me this opportunity to serve as your next Member of Parliament,” Harrison said, before thanking her family, including her “incredible” husband for his support, including taking care of their three children while Harrison has been campaigning.
After explaining how she become the Liberal candidate, Harrison thanked all her supporters and everyone she has met in the riding.
“The love and support has been endless,” she said. “This has been an incredibly positive, hopeful campaign.”
Harrison also acknowledged her relationship with Green Party candidate Jazmine Raine and NDP candidate Heather Ray.
“That is the only way forward, and it was easy because wonderful people chose to put their name on the ballot and come forward and fight for what they believe in,” she said. “I’m honoured to have been on the ballot with them, and their kindness and their support, and how we clap for each other, and support each other, wrote messages to each other, supporting one another.”
After also thanking Ferreri for her service as a Member of Parliament, Harrison turned her attention to “newly elected prime minister” Mark Carney.
“He is a person who chose to put his hand up, who decided to take on this huge role for all of us, for Canada, for the support he’s been given in his life and career, and I feel the exact same way,” she said. “People of this riding and of this community have supported me endlessly in my whole life, as a small business owner, as an athlete, as a young person just growing up.”
“So this is but a small part of my ability to repay everyone who’s ever supported me. I really do love this community so much, and the people who live here. I know people talk endlessly about tariffs and Donald (Trump) and all of those things, but the truth for me is, what was on the ballot was humanity.”
“We have to come together, we have to stay unified, we have to move forward together as a country and as a people, and support one another every single day.”
Harrison said she is looking forward to working in Ottawa to deliver on the Liberals’ campaign promises, joking that she is “incredibly irritating” when it comes to achieving results.
After mentioning commitments to building affordable homes, supporting families, and building infrastructure in the riding, Harrison said she “will fight any attempts to reverse the progress that has been made for women’s rights” as well as discriminatory practices that often marginalize women and people.
“I do intend to listen more than I speak, and listen to the lived experience of people and believe them when they tell you what they’re saying,” she said.
“We need to stay united as residents and we cannot continue to create division. I will work with everyone, regardless of whether they voted for me or not, and I will be your voice in Ottawa, not Ottawa’s voice in Peterborough … I look forward to showing you just what I can do.”
As for other ridings in the Kawarthas region, Conservative incumbent Jamie Schmale in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes easily defeated Liberal challenger Nell Thomas by 13,031 votes.
In Northumberland-Clarke, the race was a bit tighter with Conservative incumbent Philip Lawrence beating Liberal John Goheen by only 3,102 votes. In Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, Conservative incumbent Shelby Kramp-Neuman defeated Liberal Tracey Sweeney Schenk by 9,393 votes.
Here are the unofficial election results for the greater Kawarthas region as reported by Elections Canada as of 2 a.m. on April 29.
Peterborough
Formerly Peterborough-Kawartha
307 of 308 polls reporting (99.68%)
Voter turnout: 78,390 of 106,789 registered electors (73.41%)
| Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Harrison – Liberal Party of Canada | 54.1% 42,427 votes |
|
| Michelle Ferreri – Conservative Party of Canada | 41.2% 32,267 votes |
|
| Heather Ray – New Democratic Party | 3% 2,385 votes |
|
| Jazmine Raine – Green Party of Canada | 0.8% 653 votes |
|
| Jami-Leigh McMaster – People’s Party of Canada | 0.3% 271 votes |
|
| Chad Jewell – Independent | %0.3 221 votes |
|
| Matthew Grove – Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 0.2% 167 votes |
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes
Formerly Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
302 of 314 polls reporting (95.86%)
Voter turnout: 72,257 of 104,259 registered electors (69.31%)
| Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie Schmale – Conservative Party of Canada (incumbent) | 56.6% 40,925 votes |
|
| Nell Thomas – Liberal Party of Canada | 38.6% 27,894 votes |
|
| Alyea Teel – New Democratic Party | 3.5% 2,513 votes |
|
| Michael Penman – People’s Party of Canada | 1.3% 925 votes |
Northumberland-Clarke
Formerly Northumberland-Peterborough South
251 of 254 polls reporting (98.82%)
Voter turnout: 65,605 of 94,937 registered electors (69.1%)
| Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Philip Lawrence – Conservative Party of Canada (incumbent) | 49.7% 32,620 votes |
|
| John Goheen – Liberal Party of Canada | 45% 29,518 votes |
|
| Ava Becker – New Democratic Party | 3% 1,968 votes |
|
| Christina Marie Wilson – Green Party of Canada | 0.9% 594 votes |
|
| Lisa Bradburn – People’s Party of Canada | 0.7% 490 votes |
|
| Jody Ledgerwood – Independent | 0.4% 259 votes |
|
| John Wesselius – Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 0.2% 156 otes |
Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga
Formerly Hastings-Lennox and Addington
248 of 258 polls reporting (96.12%)
Voter turnout: 51,351 of 93,375 registered electors (54.99%)
| Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Kramp-Neuman – Conservative Party of Canada (incumbent) | 56.3% 28,920 votes |
< |
| Tracey Sweeney Schenk – Liberal Party of Canada | 38% 19,527 votes |
|
| Ava Duffy – New Democratic Party | 3.7% 1,921 votes |
|
| Michael Holbrook – Green Party of Canada | 1.3% 655 votes |
|
| Zaid Yusufani – People’s Party of Canada | 0.6% 328 votes |
