Joliette (Quebec) 132/338

 Joliette (Quebec)

Today we're back in Quebec with Joliette!

Joliette has existed as a riding since Confederation, getting abolished in 1935 and redrawn in 1968. The population was 104,136 in 2016. The population centers are Joliette (20,484 in 2016), Saint-Charles-Borromée (13,791 in 2016), and Rawdon (11,057 in 2016). This riding has a median age of 49.5, compared to the Quebec median age of 42.5.

Politically, this seat tends to stay with one party for a while. From 1917-1958 it was held by the Liberals, from 1974-1993 it was held by the Progressive Conservatives, and from 1993-2011 it was held by the Bloc Quebecois. It was won by the NDP by over 8,000 votes in 2011, but was picked up in 2015 by the Bloc by 2,880 votes. The seat is currently held by Bloc MP Gabriel Ste-Marie.

The MP with the longest tenure in this seat is Roch La Salle. Roch La Salle was elected six times, as a Progressive Conservative and an independent in 1972. For most of his time, he was one of a handful of Tories in Quebec. He resigned his seat to run in the 1981 Quebec election as the leader of Union Nationale. After the party lost all their seats, La Salle returned to Ottawa in the by-election triggered by his resignation. In 2019, this seat was 67/78 in Quebec and 279/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, Joliette isn't just the city, it's also the district municipality. Fun fact: there are no federal ridings starting with the letter "I", out of 712 provincial ridings, there are just 6 provincial ridings starting with "I". The shape is good too, good urban/rural divide. As for individuality, it's cool how much name recognition contributes to winning a seat.

Tomorrow we're in Jonquière!