Lambton—Kent—Middlesex (Ontario) 152/338

 Lambton—Kent—Middlesex (Ontario)

Today we're in Southwestern Ontario with Lambton—Kent—Middlesex!

Lambton—Kent—Middlesex has existed as a riding since 1997, created from Kent and Lambton—Middlesex. The population was 111,242 in 2021. The population centers are Strathroy (16,056 in 2021), Wallaceburg (10,323 in 2021), and Grand Bend (3,031 in 2021). There are also several sizeable indigenous nations in the riding: Walpole Island 46 (1,589 in 2016), Kettle Point 44 (1,233 in 2021), and Oneida 41 (1,282 in 2011).

Politically, this seat has taken a turn to the right on the ballot. It flipped each election from 1979-1988, until settling with the Liberals from 1993-2006. In 2006, the incumbent Liberal who barely held on the previous election retired, allowing for an easy Conservative pick up. The seat has gotten less Conservative recently, but that is with a split opposition. This seat is currently held by Conservative MP Lianne Rood. 

While the Liberals did hold the seat from 1993-2006, the seat was held by the mostly extinct (at least electorally) "Socially Conservative Liberal". Rose-Marie Ur was one of 32 Liberals to vote against the Civil Marriage Act, including Liberal neighbours Roger Gallaway and Paul Steckle. Her positions, along with the split on the right, helped her stay in office for thirteen years. In 2019, this seat was 93/121 in Ontario and 223/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is fine, Ontario loves their county names and I guess I can't fault them. The shape is meh, I'm not a huge fan of wrap-around ridings, but I guess there's no other way to fix it. As for individuality, it did stay Liberal longer than about half of southern Ontario.

Tomorrow we're in Eastern Ontario in Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston!