Chilliwack—Hope (British Columbia) 68/338

 Chilliwack—Hope (British Columbia)

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

Chilliwack—Hope has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon. The population was 100,126 in 2016. The population centers are Chilliwack (73,161 in 2016), and Hope (4,067 in 2016). The Skwah First Nation have several reserves in the riding, namely Schelowat 1, Skwah 4, and Skwali 3.

Politically, the riding has been a pretty safe bet for the Conservatives since 1993, only really being competitive in 2015 when the Liberals were within 9 points of taking the riding. While the seat didn't change hands this election, the NDP swung ten points into second place, absent a Liberal collapse, similar to the 2004/2006 elections. However, this time the Conservatives only received 46%, not the 54/56% they had in the mid-2000's. The riding is currently represented by Conservative MP Mark Strahl.

Mark Strahl isn't the first Strahl to represent the riding. His father, Chuck Strahl, represented the riding from 1993-2011 when Mark took over. Chuck Strahl served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications, serving during Stephen Harper's two minority governments, retiring to let his son run in the 2011 election. In 2019, the riding was 38/42 in BC and 251/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 9.2/10 - I'm okay with it for the most part, I think I'd be okay if they went with Chilliwack—Fraser Valley.

Shape: 8.4/10 - It follows a lot of the municipal lines and rivers, but some of the east is a little arbitrary, but it's not the biggest deal.

Individuality: 6.7/10 - The riding is pretty typical for the Fraser Valley, but the NDP swing in 2021 sets it apart.

Total: 24.3/30 (81%)

Tomorrow we'll be in Manitoba with Churchill—Keewatinook Aski!