AJAX

Liberal incumbent Mark Holland has been re-elected in the riding of Ajax.

The popular MP had been widely expected to win, after having cruised to victory in 2019 with 58 per cent of the vote.

Holland has held the riding for all but four years since 2004. In 2011, he was defeated by Chris Alexander in the Conservative wave which swept Stephen Harper into power with a majority government.

Since 2018, Holland has served as the Liberal whip in the House of Commons. In that capacity, Holland played a central role in the party’s investigation into harassment allegations against former MP Raj Saini.

This time, Holland beat out Conservative candidate and political rookie Arshad Awan, a local accountant. Monique Hughes ran for the NDP, while the Green candidate was Leigh Paulseth.

After being defeated in the 2011 federal election, Holland was hired as the director of health promotion and public affairs with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.