Sunday, November 14, 2021

Essex (Ontario) 103/338

 Essex (Ontario) 


Today we're in Southwestern Ontario with Essex!


Essex has existed as a riding since 1867, getting redrawn multiple times with cardinal names (Essex North, Essex South, etc.), before returning to a single riding in 1968. The population of the riding was 125,442 in 2016. The population centers are Lakeshore (36,611 in 2016), LaSalle (30,180 in 2016), and Amherstburg (21,936 in 2016).

Politically, this seat has gone through some phases. From 1968-2004, it was represented by Liberals, save nine years when the NDP held it. In 2004, the Conservative reign began with Jeff Watson winning by just 829 votes. The NDP took the riding back in 2015 after sneaking into second place the previous election, but have lost it the past two elections to the Conservatives. The seat is currently represented by Conservative MP Chris Lewis.

The last Liberals to hold the riding were Eugene Whelan from 1968-1984 and Susan Whelan from 1993-2004, who became the first father-daughter pair to serve in cabinet. Eugene Whelan served as minister of agriculture under Pierre Trudeau, and his close relationship with Aleksandr Yakovlev was a catalyst for perestroika. Susan Whelan served as minister of international cooperation under Jean Chrétien. In 2019, this seat was 21/121 in Ontario and 66/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:
Name: 9.8/10 - Literally perfect. Parts of Essex are in other ridings though... so, not quite perfect.
Shape: 8.9/10 - Again, almost perfect, but I'm not a huge fan on the ridge on the east.
Individuality: 9.7/10 - It's got everything: cabinet ministers, political realignment, still swinging, we love you Essex.
Total: 28.4/30 (94.7%)

Tomorrow we're in Toronto with Etobicoke Centre!

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