The last item former NDP MP Peter Julian will pack when he leaves his parliamentary office in downtown Ottawa is a single steel-toed work boot.
For more than 20 years, the boot has been sitting in Julian’s office — a strong reminder of his focus on advocating for “the needs of regular working people,” he said.
The boot was the first thing Julian unpacked when he moved into the office two decades ago. Soon, it will be packed and flown across the country to British Columbia and reunited with its pair, which has been at Julian’s constituency office.
“There’s a symbolism in it being first but also being last,” Julian said. “They help to keep me grounded on what’s important.”
Julian is one of at least 40 incumbent MPs who lost their seat in the House of Commons last election. In interviews with CBC’s The House, some described the moment as more than just losing a job. It’s the end of a chapter of their life they’ve spent years, even decades, writing.
Julian lost his riding of New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville to Liberal Jake Sawatzky, one of the youngest incoming parliamentarians. When asked how he’s feeling, Julian said he’s “fine.”
“This is democracy,” he told host Catherine Cullen. “Every election, you anticipate the worst and you work for the best.”
Others are struggling. In the hallway outside her parliamentary office in Ottawa on Thursday morning, former Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola teared up thinking of the people in her Quebec riding of Beauport-Limoilou that she’s “left behind.”
“The hard stuff is not here,” Vignola said as she waited for House of Commons staff to come and check her office was properly vacated. “The hard stuff is in the riding.”
More than 1,200 people went to Vignola and her office looking for help immigrating to Canada. She said they signed papers giving her permission to help with their cases.
But those papers were signed to Vignola and her team — not the riding. Because she lost the recent federal election, Vignola said the files have been “destroyed.”
“I’m their last resort. I’m the last resource,” Vignola said, her voice wavering. “And now they have to do it all over again with someone else. I hope they’ll take their situation[s] as seriously as I did.”
Two floors above Vignola, former Nova Scotia Conservative MP Rick Perkins was packing up his own office. The most striking feature was a lobster trap which Perkins said replaced a typical coffee table.
“All these dignitaries in Ottawa, they all want their picture taken in front of the lobster trap,” Perkins said. “Not by the Canadian flag, but by the lobster trap.”
The last two weeks have been “tough,” Perkins said. “You have good days when you’re having constant calls. The phone never stops ringing — well, it will stop soon, but it’s been ringing and it’s heartfelt stuff from the riding.”
The outgoing Nova Scotia MP said there’s camaraderie between him and other incumbent Conservatives who also lost their races. Perkins also said there’s some comfort in knowing he lost by thousands of votes.
“If I had lost by 12 votes, I would have been really angry because I could have knocked on one or two more doors and maybe changed that.” Perkins said.
Favourite moments in office
Former Ontario Liberal MP Marc Serré says he fondly remembers the new Canadians he saw at citizenship ceremonies — in particular a Syrian refugee family that settled in Sudbury.
Serré said he greeted the family at the airport when they landed in January 2015.
“They started their own restaurant, and the community supported them. And just that welcoming aspect of [the community] was just amazing. And as a member of Parliament, you will never forget that,” Serré said.
Serré said the campaign was “very challenging” but he’s hopeful for the future with the Liberals still in power. He lost his riding of Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt to Conservative challenger Jim Belanger.
“There’s a lot of anxiety within the staff, obviously moving forward,” Serré said. “Right now, I’m going to turn the page and start a new chapter.”
Vignola’s highlight is helping someone secure their citizenship after years of delays because their file had been lost by the federal government. “We succeeded [in resolving] his case in a month, which is a miracle if you know how our immigration is,” she said with a laugh.
The man’s folder fell between two filing cabinets, Vignola said. She also referenced another who waited for his wife to join him in Canada for three years before she finally arrived.
“They came to my office to thank the team and I. That was magical,” Vignola said.
Partisanship and co-operation
When asked what he’ll miss most on Parliament Hill, Perkins said “the people, my colleagues and I’ve made some really good friends” like former Ontario NDP MP Brian Masse.
The two worked together on the House industry committee. Masse, who served in Parliament for more than 20 years until he lost his race in Windsor West, is a “really good guy” and “a fantastic MP” according to Perkins.
Perkins said Masse offered to endorse him during the campaign. There was no NDP candidate in Perkins’s riding of South Shore-St. Margarets.
“I get a little emotional when I talk about that because that’s the kind of relationship you can develop if you truly believe in what you’re doing and treat other MPs with respect,” Perkins said.
In a statement, Masse referenced “the joint efforts of MPs of all political backgrounds, and the many times we found common ground for the betterment of Canada. Those comments remain on the public record.”
Perkins also highlighted Bill Blair’s work when wildfires ripped through suburban Halifax and Shelburne County in 2023. Blair was the emergency preparedness minister at the time and got the resources Perkins’s community needed to fight the fires and save homes.
“The lines blur between parties when you’re trying to fight for your community,” Perkins said.
Julian said he enjoys the partisan side of politics “when it’s an honest debate of ideas” but lamented that Canada could get a lot more done if more parliamentarians recognized their first loyalty is to Canadians and building a better country.
“We could pass bills every week with proper examination. I don’t disagree with the proper examination of [legislation], but the problem is we are allowing that partisanship to block so many things that could benefit so many Canadians.”
Serré experienced the dark side of political divisions when he was physically assaulted in his campaign office during the 2021 federal election. He told The House there were also protests at his home, which affected his family.
Despite those experiences, Serré said he’s proud of the work he’s done.
“I’d do it again … I’d try to figure out a way to deal with my personal life a bit differently,” Serré said. “But from an MP perspective, you gotta put your neck out and there are consequences to that.”
What comes next?
Serré said he’s taking a breather but he still wants to try and find different ways to build up northern Ontario, especially the northeast.
“I’m still going to want to make a difference for my community, but today I’ll do it a different way. I think being an MP — that chapter is closed,” Serré said. “Maybe my opponents will be happy to hear that.”
When asked what he’ll do next, Perkins said it was a “multimillion-dollar question.” He’s not sure whether he’ll run again, but in the meantime he wants to make sure his staff find employment.
“I’ll be out of this office by the end of next week,” Perkins said. “And then I’ll start, once I’m through that, probably turning my attention to what I do next.”
Vignola also isn’t sure what comes next. But she said maybe she’ll go back to teaching in September.
“This is the end of a chapter, and we’ll see what I write in the next one,” Vignola said.
Julian said he wants to remain engaged in his community, and he plans to knock on doors in the riding once he completes the move — which is taking up a lot of space in his mind.
“I’ve been unemployed for the first time since I was 12,” Julian said with a chuckle. “But the whirlwind that comes with having to close off all of the offices and close off the apartment [in Ottawa] doesn’t allow for reflection.”
That personal reflection will come after May 20 — Julian’s deadline to vacate his office.
“I will try to make a difference in a different way,” Julian said. “It’s such an honour and a privilege to make a difference in people’s lives.”
