Joel Harden MPP / Député, Ottawa Centre

I heard a mind-blowing story last week, but I’ve learned in politics to expect the unexpected.  PSW students at Willis College – a private career college with two campuses in the Ottawa area – were... More

There are historic moments in Canadian politics, and one is happening now.  For decades, child care advocates have been pushing for dramatic expansion of non-profit, high-quality child care — the k... More

I’m often asked why I got into politics, and the answer is simple. I got into politics to help people, and to work with others to make change.  Long before I was a politician, I was a community org... More

It’s been quite a week for Ottawa’s LRT. As readers of our MPP newsletter know, I’ve been urging the province to help fix our LRT for a long time.  On December 1, 2019, we held an LRT town hall in ... More

Today environmental leaders walked out of UN climate change (COP26) talks in Glasgow, Scotland. They are irate — for good reason — at the tepid pace of change in the face of a planetary emergency. ... More

It’s Remembrance Week, the time each year when we honour the sacrifices of Canada’s veterans and their families.  But like last year, Remembrance Day events in 2021 are more subdued. Once again, a ... More

“We love our health care heroes” -- these are words that federal, provincial, and municipal leaders have been saying for months. But health care staff are fed up with platitudes.  Last week Kate Ma... More

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Ottawa Centre never ceases to amaze me.  From hurricanes to massive floods, from bus crashes to an historic pandemic -- I’ve seen our community rise in t... More

This week we hit a new low at Ottawa City Hall.  In the heat of debate around Ottawa’s LRT, Mayor Jim Watson shut off the microphone for Councillor Diane Deans. Deans who was attempting to support ... More

This week I returned to the Legislature for the first time since last June. The Ford government had given itself a lengthy absence from public scrutiny. Ontario’s Official Opposition put them back ... More