Chicoutimi—Le Fjord (Quebec) 67/338

 Chicoutimi—Le Fjord (Quebec)

Today we're in Quebec with Chicoutimi—Le Fjord!

Chicoutimi—Le Fjord has existed as a riding since 1925 (albeit under different boundaries) and has been contested since. The population was 81,639 in 2016. A majority of the population is based in the city of Saguenay (145,949 in 2016, shared with Jonquière), specifically the boroughs of Chicoutimi and La Baie.

Politically, this seat changed hands four times between 2008 and 2018, going from the Bloc in 2008, to the NDP in 2011, to the Liberals in 2015, to the Conservatives in a 2018 by-election. The 2015 election was particularly close, less than 6,400 votes separated the first place and fourth place candidates. The riding is currently held by Conservative MP Richard Martel.

The interesting part in every election just mentioned, the winning party won the urban center of Chicoutimi. When the Conservatives won the seat in 2019, the Bloc won Chicoutimi, but the Conservatives had sufficient rural support to push the riding in their favour. The riding was 8/78 in Quebec and 18/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 7.4/10 - It makes sense, I just think Chicoutimi would suffice, but I do understand why its named that way.

Shape: 7.1/10 - I appreciate that it follows the municipal lines, but I wish the bottom didn't have that weird little angle in the bottom left.

Individuality: 8.7/10 - Usually the trajectory is Bloc-NDP-Liberal-Bloc, so this is a nice change of pace for volatile Quebec.

Total: 23.2/30 (77.3%)

Tomorrow we're back in the Fraser Valley with Chilliwack—Hope!

Chatham-Kent—Leamington (Ontario) 66/338

 Chatham-Kent—Leamington (Ontario)

Today we're in southwestern Ontario with Chatham-Kent—Leamington!

Chatham-Kent—Leamington has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from three former ridings. The population of the riding was 109,619 in 2016. The population centers are Chatham (43,550 in 2016), Leamington (32,991 in 2016), and Tilbury (4,768 in 2016). The indigenous reserve of Moravian 47 in the north of the riding. 

Politically, this seat has been reliably Conservative since 2006, only getting close in 2015, when the Conservatives beat out the Liberals by just 2,326 votes. The town of Chatham is typically split between the Liberals and Conservatives, while the rest of the communities have traditionally been more Conservative. This seat is represented by Conservative MP Dave Epp.

I want to talk about the People's Party and how they performed in Southwestern Ontario. In a word, surprisingly well. This riding had the best performance for the party in all of Ontario, netting the party just under 8,000 votes, and falling just 115 votes behind the NDP. The average People's Party vote share in rural Southwestern Ontario was 11.3%, up from 2.3% in 2019. This seat was 63/121 in Ontario and 147/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 9.3/10 - It's pretty harmless, but it is a bit wordy.

Shape: 7.4/10 - Not a really huge fan of following the river, but it works, just a bit squiggly.

Individuality: 6.7/10 - Typical southwestern Ontario riding. Solid red during the Chrétien years that turned solid blue during the Harper years. The PPC number is interesting and lets it stick out.

Total: 23.4/30 (78%)

Tomorrow we're back in Quebec with Chicoutimi—Le Fjord!

Châteauguay–Lacolle (Quebec) 65/338

 Châteauguay–Lacolle (Quebec)

Hello friends! We're back after an election with a rather noteworthy riding, Châteauguay–Lacolle!

Châteauguay–Lacolle has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Beauharnois—Salaberry and Châteauguay—Saint-Constant. The population was 97,887 in 2016. The riding is named for the city of Châteauguay and the southern municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle.

Politically, this riding has a big urban/rural divide, with the northern anglophone city of Châteauguay voting more Liberal and the rural portions of the riding voting for the Bloc. In 2019, this seat had only a 1.2% margin between the Bloc and the Liberals. However, that changed in 2021 when the Bloc flipped the riding by 0.6%. The riding will be represented by Bloc MP Patrick O'Hara.

What makes the flip so important? This was the only flip in Quebec in 2021! In 2019, 26/78 ridings flipped. For a province so volatile, its interesting how only one riding changed. The Conservatives made ground in the Montérégie, but not enough to flip, the NDP made ground in Montreal, but it was a pretty uneventful election in Quebec this time around. In 2019, this seat was 4/78 in Quebec and 13/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 8.8/10 - Definitely boosted because the biggest city is in the name, I don't mind the Lacolle part, but I do wish the municipality had more than 1,500 people.

Shape: 7.9/10 - It's a bit too jagged for me, but it follows municipal lines, so I can't be too mad.

Individuality: 8.7/10 - Shout out to this riding for standing out and flipping this election.

Total: 25.4/30 (84.7%)

Tomorrow we're back in Ontario with Chatham—Kent—Leamington!