Meet the 4 new MPs elected in Hamilton and Niagara
John-Paul Danko, Fred Davies, Ned Kuruc, Aslam Rana will be fresh faces in Ottawa
Hamilton and Niagara residents have voted to send four new people to represent them in Ottawa.
MPs-elect John-Paul Danko and Aslam Rana won for the Liberals in Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas and Hamilton Centre, respectively. For the Conservatives, Ned Kuruc took Hamilton East—Stoney Creek and Fred Davies was voted in for Niagara South.
Danko and Davies were already serving their respective communities as municipal councillors when the federal election held Monday was called. Rana and Kuruc have been active in party politics, but this will be the first time they've held elected office. All will be new to the House of Commons.
Kuruc and Rana both defeated incumbent candidates in their ridings, which isn't easy to do, Kuruc told CBC Hamilton.
In 2021, he ran and lost in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, coming second to Chad Collins. This time, Collins came second to him. The riding has been held by Liberals for most of its existence.
Kuruc, a 44-year-old mortgage specialist who's lived in Hamilton his whole life, said he started knocking on doors to campaign about a year and a half ago. He'd log about 20,000 to 25,000 steps a day, he said.
"Our goal was to try to talk to as many people as possible."
Before that, he spent time campaigning in Hamilton for Pierre Poilievre in the Conservative leadership race.
"The whole election is bittersweet because I won but we didn't form government on the national side," Kuruc said.
The Liberals, led by Mark Carney, won a minority government. Still, the Conservatives gained multiple seats, something Kuruc said he's pleased about.
The party's focus on change, affordability and public safety strongly appealed to Hamiltonians, he said.
On Canada's relationship with the U.S. — another major issue this election — Kuruc said he hopes Carney will prioritize defending the country from economic harm, especially considering so many industrial manufacturing jobs are based in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.
"I will be there to protect jobs and to protect workers," Kuruc said. "I have no problem working with anybody on any party lines to solve that issue."
Hamilton Centre winner looks forward to moving to the city
The Liberals' response to that issue resonated with voters, Rana said.
The 52-year-old civil engineer and engineering professor at Toronto Metropolitan University lives in Mississauga, but said he plans to move to Hamilton, where he's been interested in running for office since 2015.
"I told my friends and my classmates [who live] here that whenever I get a chance, I will go and I will do my best and to lift up this neglected riding," Rana told CBC Hamilton prior to his victory on Monday.
He said he'll focus on housing and infrastructure in the riding, drawing on his engineering background to make improvements.
Rana's win over incumbent NDP candidate Matthew Green was a surprise to many. Green won by about 9,000 votes in 2021, beating the second-place Liberal candidate.
But Rana said he was confident going in because he thought voters would support Carney and the Liberals.
"I really appreciate each and everybody, and I'm thankful to my party, who had confidence in me," the MP-elect said. "I'm going to make the difference."
2 area councillors become MPs
In neighbouring Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, voters elected a new MP from the same party as before.
Former Liberal MP Filomena Tassi announced in the fall she would not run for re-election. Danko, Hamilton's Ward 8 city councillor, ended up running for the party.
The 47-year-old, who is also an engineer, told CBC Hamilton he's "excited" to get to work in Ottawa.
"One of the biggest issues that we heard from residents at the door was the cost of housing and just generally the cost of living," Danko said.
"I think the insight that I have in understanding the investments that we need in housing in Hamilton but also in the economy in the city Hamilton is something that I'm excited to bring to Ottawa."
Danko added there are some "loose ends" he needs to tie up as a councillor and he's confident in his colleagues to continue serving the city.
Davies is the regional councillor for Port Colborne, Ont., who will now be the MP for Niagara South.
Ridings were redistributed before this election and Niagara South changed quite significantly. It has a new name and includes much of what used to be called Niagara Centre, as well as about one-third of the riding formally called Niagara Falls.
In 2021, both those ridings were close Conservative-Liberal contests. This time, the Conservatives won both, as Davies beat former Liberal MP Vance Badawey.
Davies did not respond to a request for comment before publication. His campaign website said he's "known for his hands-on approach to business," and "knows what it takes to create jobs and support families."
Here's the full list of who won in the Hamilton area Monday night:
- Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations: Larry Brock, Conservative.
- Burlington: Karina Gould, Liberal.
- Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North: Dan Muys, Conservative.
- Haldimand—Norfolk: Leslyn Lewis, Conservative.
- Hamilton Centre: Aslam Rana, Liberal.
- Hamilton East—Stoney Creek: Ned Kuruc, Conservative.
- Hamilton Mountain: Lisa Hepfner, Liberal.
- Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas: John-Paul Danko, Liberal.
- Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake: Tony Baldinelli, Conservative.
- Niagara South: Fred Davies, Conservative.
- Niagara West: Dean Allison, Conservative.
- St. Catharines: Chris Bittle, Liberal.
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With files from Samantha Beattie, Aura Carreño Rosas and Eva Salinas