Jonquière (Quebec) 133/338

 Jonquière (Quebec)

Today we're in Jonquière!

Jonquière was first created in 1979 and was recreated in 2015 after not existing from 2004-2015. The population was 89,818 in 2016. The population centers are Saguenay (Jonquière and Chicoutimi boroughs), Saint-Honoré (5,757 in 2016), and Saint-Ambroise (3,781 in 2016). Similar to Gatineau, the city of Jonquière was amalgamated with the cities of La Baie, Chicoutimi and Laterrière in 2002.

Politically, this seat tends to swing every couple of years. From 1993-2006, it was held by the Bloc, until the Conservatives won it in 2006. The Conservatives held it until 2011 when the NDP won the seat by over 4,000 votes. The NDP held it narrowly in 2015, but lost it to the Bloc in 2019. The seat is currently held by Bloc MP Mario Simard.

In 2015, four seats in this region shared two characteristics: the seat was won with a plurality of less than 34%, and the four parties that won seats in Quebec had more than 16%. As of 2021, three of the four seats are held by the Bloc, who didn't place above third in 2015, and three of the four were won with more than 40%. In 2019, this seat was 27/78 in Quebec and 107/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, Jonquière must be over 50% of the population of the riding, although I do wish Saguenay was named federally. The shape is good too, although embedded districts are not uncommon in Canada, I'm glad they didn't embed the Chicoutimi riding by putting Le-Fjord-du-Saguenay in one riding. As for individuality, the swings are not uncommon, but it is surprising how the Liberals didn't win the seat in 2015.

Tomorrow we're back in BC with Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo!

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!

Huron—Bruce (Ontario) 131/338

 Huron—Bruce (Ontario)

Today we're in Huron—Bruce!

Huron—Bruce has existed as a riding since 1953, created from Huron North and Huron—Perth. The population of the riding was 106,570 in 2016. The population centers are Saugeen Shores (13,715 in 2016), Kincardine (11,389 in 2016), and Goderich (7,628 in 2016). The world's largest underground salt mine is in Goderich, and Bruce Power is the world's largest nuclear power plant by output.

Politically, this seat has been mostly Conservative, the only exception being the Liberals holding the seat from 1993-2008. In 2006, when the Liberals lost most of their rural Southern Ontario seats, this was the only one to stay Liberal, mostly due to the communities in Bruce County. The seat was an easy Conservative pickup in 2008, possibly helped along by Liberal MP Paul Steckle retiring. This seat is currently held by Conservative MP Ben Lobb.

Another reason the seat stayed Liberal for so long is because of Paul Steckle. He was a city councillor and reeve in Stanley Township (now Bluewater) from 1970-1980 and 1980-1985 respectively. He was first elected to Parliament in 1993. While a Liberal, he was vocal in opposition to certain votes, specifically same-sex marriage, abortion, and gun ownership. In 2019, this seat was 59/121 in Ontario and 143/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, county names are pretty typical in Ontario, and the population centers aren't large enough to be solely named after one. The shape is pretty good, same as above, the shape serves the name pretty well. As for individuality, it is interesting how Liberal some of the population centers still are, even post-Harper. 

Tomorrow we're back in Quebec with Joliette! 

Humber River—Black Creek (Ontario) 130/338

 Humber River—Black Creek (Ontario)

Today we're back in Toronto (and my home away from home) with Humber River—Black Creek!

Humber River—Black Creek has existed as a riding since Confederation, only not existing from 1904-1917, under the name York West until the most recent redistribution. The population of the riding was 108,037 in 2016. The riding is in the city of Toronto and contains the neighbourhoods of Humber Summit, Jane and Finch, and Humbermede. 

Politically, this seat has had the longest Liberal streak in Toronto, staying Liberal since 1962. One thing that is interesting is the second place party has changed hands every election since 1988, between the Progressive Conservatives, Reform, Conservatives and NDP. The only time the Liberals were in danger of losing the seat was 1962, 1972, and 1984. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Judy Sgro.

Provincially, this seat is held by NDP MPP Tom Rakocevic, the first time the party has held the seat since 1990, coincidentally the last time the party received over 30% of the vote. This seat will be a indicator of what happens in the upcoming provincial election: if the NDP holds it, they likely will have a decent chance of holding onto opposition, if the PC's take it, its an indicator that they will get a bigger majority, if the Liberals take it, they have likely rebuilt their base and the trust in a provincial Liberal government. In 2019, this seat was 121/121 in Ontario and 300/338 in Canada by margin.

I love the name, deciding to rename it from the old "York West" to the current name allows it to think of the riding in a modern context, especially with the shifting demographics. The shape is also pretty good, the natural border with Etobicoke is nice, part of Jane and Finch is cut off in the southwest corner, but it's not the end of the world. Politically, it's cool how Liberal the seat is and how it flipped in 2018.

Tomorrow we're in Western Ontario with Huron—Bruce!

 Hull—Aylmer (Quebec)

Today we're in Hull—Aylmer!

Hull—Aylmer has existed as a riding since 1917. The population of the riding was 105,419 in 2016. The riding is in the city of Gatineau and contains the former cities of Hull, Aylmer, as well as the District de Deschenes. In 2002, the Parti Quebecois government merged the cities of Gatineau, Hull, Aylmer, Buckingham, and Masson-Angers. 

Politically, this seat, like most of Ottawa-Gatineau, is reliably Liberal. Since it's inception, it has only elected Liberals all but once. In 2011, longtime NDP member Nycole Turmel defeated 12 year incumbent Marcel Proulx. The only other time the seat hasn't been in Liberal hands is when Gilles Rocheleau crossed the floor to the newly created Bloc Quebecois. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Greg Fergus.

Greg Fergus is one of eight Black MP's in Canada, six Liberals, one NDP, and one Conservative. The first Black Canadian elected to the House of Commons was Lincoln Alexander of Hamilton West, serving in Joe Clark's short-lived cabinet. Today, there are two Black cabinet ministers (Marci Ien and Ahmed Hussen), one Black parliamentary secretary (Greg Fergus), and a former (and presumptively future) Conservative leadership candidate (Leslyn Lewis). In 2019, this seat was 74/78 in Quebec and 293/338 in Canada by margin.

The shape is fine, but the riding does split the community of Le Plateau in half. I like the name, the names of Hull and Aylmer are still used, granted the amalgamation only happened twenty years ago. As for individuality, it will always surprise me how big the orange wave was, especially with a seat in Ottawa-Gatineau which usually stays solidly Liberal.

Tomorrow we're back in Toronto with Humber River—Black Creek!

Honoré-Mercier (Quebec) 128/338

 Honoré-Mercier (Quebec) 

Today we're back in Montreal with Honoré-Mercier!

Honoré-Mercier has existed as a riding since 1987, originally under the name of Anjou—Rivières-des-Prairies. The population of the riding was 103,592 in 2016. The riding contains the borough of Anjou, as well as part of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Politically, this seat has been pretty solid for the Liberals in recent years. It narrowly went for the Bloc Quebecois in 1993 by just over 500 votes, making it a pretty easy pick up for the Liberals in 1997. They held it steadily until 2011 when the NDP took it with just 36% of the vote, again making it an easy pickup for the Liberals in 2015. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP and Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez.

Pablo Rodriguez was first elected in 2004 after two-term MP Yvon Charbonneau decided not to run. During his initial tenure, he was the only Liberal MP from Eastern Montreal. During the 2006 Liberal leadership race, he supported Michael Ignatieff as well as became the Quebec chair for his leadership bid. In 2019, this seat was 73/78 in Quebec and 290/338 in Canada by margin.

The riding is named after the Premier of Quebec of the same name, which is not my favourite thing that Quebec ridings do. The shape is nice, I like the "L" that it makes, but I do wish that it were a bit cleaner at the bottom. The riding is not too different from the other Montreal ridings, however it does typically have southern shore Liberal margins, which is a testament to how surprising it was that it flipped.

Tomorrow we're still in Quebec with Hull—Aylmer!

Hochelaga (Quebec) 127/338

 Hochelaga (Quebec)

Today we're back with Hochelaga!

Hochelaga has existed as a riding from 1867-1988, and then was recreated in 2004 from Hochelaga—Maisonneuve and Laurier—Sainte-Marie. The population of the riding was 106,496 in 2016. The riding contains the boroughs of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, part of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, and part of Ville-Marie. Hochelaga was named for the Iroquois village on what is now the Island of Montreal.

Politically, this seat has been closer in recent years. From the Bloc's inception it had held the seat up to 2011 when the NDP swept the region, but the Bloc remained competitive. The seat became a three way race in 2015 when the NDP, Liberals, and Bloc were separated by just over 1,645 votes. It went to the Liberals in 2019 when the NDP collapsed in Quebec, with the Bloc just 328 votes apart. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada.

With the Quebec provincial election happening in just under 10 months, our attention can be turned to the four provincial ridings here. This part of the Island is the more sovereigntist, with the PQ finishing second in three of the four ridings, and Quebec Solidaire winning two of the ridings. The CAQ won Bourget with just 27.57% of the vote, and the Quebec Liberals won Anjou-Louis-Riel with 39.06% of the vote, more than 10 points down from 2014. In 2019, this seat was 2/78 in Quebec and 4/338 in Canada by margin.

In the past I ranked the ridings, but now I will just be using this paragraph to talk about my feelings about the riding. I appreciate the borough being named after an indigenous village and the riding being named as such. The shape is a little interesting, as far as I can tell it isn't a municipal boundary. I also love ridings that swing as much as this one, there is a clear base for the three parties that have held it recently.

Tomorrow we'll be in the neighbouring riding of Honoré-Mercier!