Dartmouth—Cole Harbour (Nova Scotia) 78/338

 Dartmouth—Cole Harbour (Nova Scotia)

Today we're in Nova Scotia with Dartmouth—Cole Harbour!

Dartmouth—Cole Harbour has existed as a riding since 2004. The population was 92,301 in 2016. The riding consists of the Dartmouth and Cole Harbour communities of Halifax (403,131 in 2016, shared with 3 other ridings. This riding is the second smallest in Atlantic Canada, second only to Charlottetown.

Politically, this seat has typically been a Liberal seat, however it isn't unheard of it for it to go to the NDP. Specifically, it was NDP from 1997-2004 and from 2011-2015. From 1997-2004, Alexa McDonough was the NDP leader, who held her seat in Halifax. From 2011-2015, this was the extra seat the NDP got after the Liberal collapse. This seat is currently held by Liberal MP Darren Fisher.

Provincially, this seat is split between the Liberals, NDP, and Progressive Conservatives. The smallest margin was 4.3% in Dartmouth East, which the Progressive Conservatives won. It was this type of seat where the Progressive Conservatives won their majority. 6 seats that the PC's won were by less than 5 points, seats that, if flipped to the second place Liberals, would provide a 25-23-6-1 PC minority. In 2019, this seat was 9/11 in Nova Scotia and 169/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 9.7/10 - Basically perfect. Dartmouth is most of the riding, but I understand why they added in the Cole Harbour there.

Shape: 7.1/10 - Municipal boundaries are mostly followed, although I'm not a huge fan of the little part at the top, and the municipal boundaries are pretty gross, so they could've been smoothed out.

Individuality: 6.5/10 - Pretty typical urban seat: held by Liberals except for 2011 and maybe once more before that. 

Total: 23.3/30 (77.7%)

Tomorrow, we're back in Manitoba with Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa!

Cypress Hills—Grasslands (Saskatchewan) 77/338

 Cypress Hills—Grasslands (Saskatchewan)

Today we're in southwestern Saskatchewan with Cypress Hills—Grasslands!

Cypress Hills—Grasslands has existed as a riding since 1997. The population was 68,353 in 2016. The population centers are Swift Current (16,604 in 2016), Kindersley (4,571 in 2016), and Assiniboia (2,389 in 2016). The riding is named for two parks in the riding, Cypress Hills which stretches across the AB-SK border, and Grasslands National Park located just outside Val Marie.

Politically, this riding has been some flavour of Conservative since 1958, only really getting close to flipping in 1968 and 1993. 1993 in particular there were only 825 votes separating the Reform Party and the Liberal Party. The last time a non-conservative got over 20% in the riding was 2011 for the NDP and 1997 for the Liberals. The riding is currently represented by Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer.

Quick fun facts: Despite not running a campaign or a local candidate, the Liberals still got second place in a polling division in Gravelbourg, which is thanks to the loyalty of elderly French-Canadians to the Liberals. While Saskatchewan is the birthplace of CCF/NDP, Swift Current has only elected a CCF MP once, in 1945 when the party swept the province. In 2019, this seat was 13/14 in Saskatchewan and 329/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 8.4/10 - I appreciate ridings named after geography/parks I guess. Maybe something regarding the towns? 

Shape: 9.2/10 - Very good, but whoever put that little hook in the southeast, I don't care if it follows municipal boundaries, I still don't like you.

Individuality: 3.6/10 - It is interesting how close it was in those two elections, but at this point with our polarization, the riding is grouped in with the rest of the rural prairie seats.

Total: 21.2/30 (70.7%)

Tomorrow we're in Nova Scotia with Dartmouth—Cole Harbour!

Cumberland—Colchester (Nova Scotia) 76/338

 Cumberland—Colchester (Nova Scotia) 

Today we're in Nova Scotia with Cumberland—Colchester!

Cumberland—Colchester has existed as a riding since 2004. The population was 80,590 in 2016. The population centers are Truro (12,261 in 2016), Amherst (9,413 in 2016), and Bible Hill (8,913 in 2011). This riding has the only land border in Nova Scotia, connecting the province to New Brunswick.

Politically, this riding typically defaults to Conservatives, however it is easily swayed in wave years, going Liberal in 1993, 2015, and 2019. This was one of two flips in Nova Scotia in 2021, getting very close to flipping in 2019, just 453 votes separating the Liberals and Conservatives. The former MP Lenore Zann was an NDP MLA for Truro from 2009-2019. The riding will be represented by Conservative MP Stephen Ellis.

This riding cannot be mentioned without mentioning Bill Casey. Bill Casey represented the riding from 1988-2019 (with some gaps where he lost re-election or resigned). He was elected under four different banners: Progressive Conservative, Conservative, Independent, and Liberal. He voted against the 2007 budget while part of the governing caucus, which is virtually unheard of. In 2019, this seat was 1/11 in Nova Scotia and 8/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 9.4/10 - I like that it's named after the counties, a smidge long, but the words are there on purpose.

Shape: 8.2/10 - Again it follows the counties, but here I'll give it a bit of flack, not a huge fan of the southwest corner, not generally a fan of river borders.

Individuality: 8.6/10 - Bill Casey is a prime example of why local candidates matter. Especially in the Atlantic.

Total: 26.2/30 (87.3%)

See you tomorrow in Saskatchewan with Cypress Hills—Grasslands!

Cowichan—Malahat—Langford (British Columbia) 75/338

Cowichan—Malahat—Langford (British Columbia)

Today we're still on Vancouver Island with Cowichan—Malahat—Langford!

Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca and Nanaimo—Cowichan. The population was 108,052 in 2016. The population centers are Langford (35,342 in 2016), North Cowichan (29,676 in 2016), and Duncan (4,944 in 2016). The riding itself has grown by 8.9% from 2011-2016, with Langford experiencing 20.9% growth.

Politically, it is pretty similar to Courtenay—Alberni in the sense that it had been a reliable NDP seat up to 1993, staying in the hands of conservatives until 2004/2011 (depending on which riding you look at). In 2015 and 2019, all four major parties had over 15% support in the riding, which is a testament to how diverse the political landscape is within this riding. The riding is currently represented by NDP MP Alistair MacGregor.

Quick fun facts: Former Premier Dave Barrett represented this seat federally, which is interesting because all of his provincial seats were in the Lower Mainland. Additionally, Premier John Horgan and Green Leader Sonia Furstenau both hold their provincial seats in this riding. Cowichan means the “warm land” in local hul'qumi'num language, and the Cowichan First Nation is the largest first nation in British Columbia. The riding is also the epicenter for the Fairy Creek Old Growth protests. In 2019, this seat was 22/42 in BC and 97/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating: 

Name: 9.2/10 - I actually really like the name, there aren't too many other names it could take. It just is a bit wordy, but not awful.

Shape: 7.4/10 - Pretty good, mostly coastal. Not a huge fan of the suburban Victoria boundaries.

Individuality: 8.8/10 - It's really interesting how diverse the riding is politically, especially 2015. And the notable names are impressive too.

Total: 25.4/30 (84.7%)

Tomorrow we're in the Maritimes with Cumberland—Colchester!

Courtenay—Alberni (British Columbia) 74/338

 Courtenay—Alberni (British Columbia) 

Today we're on Vancouver Island with Courtenay—Alberni!

Courtenay—Alberni has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Vancouver Island North and Nanaimo—Alberni. The population was 114,647 in 2016. The population centers are Courtenay (25,599 in 2016), Port Alberni (17,678 in 2016), and Parksville (12,514 in 2016). Not as populous, but on the west coast of the riding are the communities of Tofino and Ucluelet, which only have about 1,800 people a piece, and are beautiful vacation destinations.

Politically, this seat has been reliably NDP since 2015, but before then, both ridings that this one was created from had been reliably conservative (Reform/Alliance/Conservative), except for when the NDP broke through in 2006, but it was taken back by 2008. Since the NDP took this seat, they have increased their vote share. This seat is currently represented by NDP MP Gord Johns. 

After the NDP collapsed in 1993, they didn't get a seat on Vancouver Island until 2004, which, looking at the map now, you wouldn't think. On the provincial level, this riding is entirely NDP, but they had this riding had the last BC Liberal on Vancouver Island, in the riding of Parksville—Qualicum, which is generally the more Conservative part of the federal riding. In 2019, this seat was 17/42 in BC and 78/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 8.9/10 - I really like the name! Two large municipalities is always a solid bet. I do like the provincial name of Mid Island-Pacific Rim, so I'd be fine with that.

Shape: 6.8/10 - Again, pretty good, but I have a particular issue with the Courtenay-Comox of it all. It is so squiggly, and they are pretty similar communities, so I really don't know why it is split.

Individuality: 6.7/10 - It is pretty crazy how everyone here decided: let's stop voting Conservative and vote NDP. But that is also typical for a lot of the Island.

Total: 22.4/30 (74.7%)

Tomorrow we're one riding south in Cowichan—Malahat—Langford!

Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam (British Columbia) 73/338

 Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam (British Columbia)

Today we're in Greater Vancouver with Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam!

Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam has existed as a riding since 2012, created from Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam. The population was 123,576 in 2016. The population centers are Coquitlam (139,284 in 2016, shared with Port Moody—Coquitlam), Port Coquitlam (58,612 in 2016), and Greater Vancouver A (16,133 in 2016). Greater Vancouver A is the classification of several unincorporated communities (UBC, Barnston Island, Pitt Lake).

Politically, this seat had been represented by a conservative MP from 1993-2015 (barring a by-election in 1998). However, in 2015, the Liberals swung the seat 27 points in their favour, winning by 3 points over the Conservatives. The race was tighter in 2019, just 390 votes separating the Liberals and Conservatives. In 2021, the Liberals had their best result yet, 38.5% above the Conservatives and their 30.3%. The seat is represented by Liberal MP Ron McKinnon.

This seat is a small example of the Liberals and their surge with Chinese communities this election. While this riding isn't as Chinese as Richmond, they still have a sizeable 21% of the population. The Liberals taking seats in Greater Vancouver in 2015 vs. 2021 had different trends: 2015 they made great headway in urban centers, while in 2021 they made very good headway in high Chinese populations, Richmond (which they hadn't won since 2006), Coquitlam, and the more Chinese ridings of Vancouver. In 2019, this seat was 2/42 in BC and 5/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 8.6/10 - It's very good, but it does feel a bit redundant, I guess I'm more annoyed with whoever decided to make the two have such similar names.

Shape: 7.6/10 - Again, it's good, I guess I'm more annoyed with the Electoral Area A part of the riding.

Individuality: 6.7/10 - It is pretty typical of Greater Vancouver to all vote one way, and this riding definitely follows the local trends.

Total: 22.9/30 (76.3%)

Tomorrow we're on Vancouver Island with Courtenay—Alberni!

Compton—Stanstead (Quebec) 72/338

 Compton—Stanstead (Quebec)

Today we're back in Quebec with Compton—Stanstead!

Compton—Stanstead has existed since 1996, created from Mégantic—Compton—Stanstead and Richmond—Wolfe. The population was 105,459 in 2016. The population centers are Coaticook (8,698 in 2016), Windsor (5,419 in 2016), and part of Sherbrooke (161,323 in 2016, shared with Sherbrooke). The riding is named for the namesake municipalities.

Politically, this seat has had an interesting recent history. It went Bloc in 1993 but flipped to the Progressive Conservatives in 1997, which could've been aided by the leader, Jean Charest, having his seat in Sherbrooke. The incumbent PC ran as a Liberal and won, but was defeated by the Bloc, where it stayed from 2004-2011 when the NDP took the seat. The seat has been reliably Liberal since 2015. The seat is currently represented by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Liberal MP Marie-Claude Bibeau.

Marie-Claude Bibeau has held a minister portfolio since Justin Trudeau's first cabinet, starting with Minister responsible for La Francophonie and Minister of International Development, and was shuffled into Agriculture on March 1st, 2019. She is also married to the former mayor of Sherbrooke, Bernard Sévigny, and completed her and completed two degrees at Université de Sherbrooke. In 2019, this riding was 18/78 in Quebec and 54/338 in Canada by margin.

Rating:

Name: 6.7/10 - It's hard when you have a riding with one main population center that is already in another riding. That being said, they tried, so I'll give them that.

Shape: 7.2/10 - Not generally a fan of ridings that encompass others, but it's hard to figure out a way that doesn't make it look awkward. It also follows municipal boundaries, so that's good.

Individuality: 7.7/10 - It's crazy how much the PC's fell off in 2000 after the floor crosser, and a 2004 pickup for the Bloc is interesting too.
Total: 21.6/30 (72%)

See you tomorrow in BC with Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam!