Kings—Hants (Nova Scotia) 140/338

 Kings—Hants (Nova Scotia)

Today we're in Nova Scotia with Kings—Hants!

Kings—Hants has existed as a riding since 1968, formerly under the names of Annapolis Valley and Annapolis Valley—Hants. The population was 83,465 in 2016. The population centers are Kentville (6,271 in 2016), Wolfville (4,195 in 2016), and Windsor (3,648 in 2016). The riding is approximately 5.3% Indigenous, with Indian Brook Indian Reserve No. 14 being home to 1,089 Mi'kmaq residents. 

Politically, this seat has typically been a close Liberal/Conservative race, but has pulled away with the Liberals in recent years. Pat Nowlan held the seat as a Progressive Conservative from 1965-1990, when he became an independent, running in 1993, and losing the seat to Liberal John Murphy. Scott Brison won the seat as a Progressive Conservative and as a Liberal, until his resignation in 2019. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Kody Blois.

Scott Brison was first elected in 1997 as a Progressive Conservative, but resigned in 2000 for PC leader Joe Clark to take the seat. As Joe Clark won his seat in Calgary, Brison took this seat back. Brison came out in 2002, becoming the first PC to come out while in office. In 2003, he crossed the floor to the Liberals due to his opposition to the Conservative party merger, citing his opposition to the Canadian Alliance's social conservative positions. Brison became the first openly gay cabinet minister in Canada on July 20, 2004 when he became the minister of public works. In 2019, this seat was 10/11 in Nova Scotia and 172/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, the riding has only half of Kings County, it originally had all of Kings County, but with population growth it was split. The shape is the same reason, I like that Shubenacadie River is a nice border. As for individuality, unfortunately, queer MP's are still few and far between, but Scott Brison helped lead the way (along with queer predecessors Svend Robinson, Réal Ménard and Libby Davies).

Tomorrow we're back in Ontario with Kingston and the Islands!

King—Vaughan (Ontario) 139/338

 King—Vaughan (Ontario)

Today we're in the York Region with King—Vaughan!

King—Vaughan has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Oak Ridges—Markham and Vaughan. The population of the riding was 131,998 in 2016. The riding contains the city of Vaughan (306,233 in 2016, shared with Thornhill and Vaughan—Woodbridge), and King Township (24,512 in 2016). This riding grew over 20% between censuses, with much of the growth happening in the southwest of the riding.

Politically, as with the rest of York Region, it is a Liberal/Conservative battle, but this one is a bit more Liberal than the rest. The seat was held by Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua from 1988 until he resigned in 2010 to run for Mayor of Vaughan (where he has served since). The ensuing by-election was won by Conservative Julian Fantino, a sign of the coming near-sweep the Conservatives would have of the York Region in 2011. The seat is currently held by Conservative MP Anna Roberts.

The York Region is imperative for both Liberal and Conservative governments, as such, the past two MP's who have served while their parties were in government served in cabinet in prominent roles. Julian Fantino was only in Parliament for five years, but he served in three different cabinet portfolios (seniors, international cooperation, veterans affairs), as well as serving as associate minister of national defence. Deb Schulte served as minister of seniors during the entirety of the second Trudeau Liberal government. In 2019, this seat was 4/121 in Ontario and 17/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, very simple, but sometimes simple is all you need. The shape is also good, nice clean lines, if more than half the population wasn't in the southeast I'd say I don't like it, but not a huge issue. As for individuality, not super individual, cabinet representation in battleground areas is not super uncommon.

Tomorrow we're back in Nova Scotia with Kings—Hants!

Kildonan—St. Paul (Manitoba) 138/338

 Kildonan—St. Paul (Manitoba)

Today we're back in Manitoba with Kildonan—St. Paul!

Kildonan—St. Paul has existed as a riding since 2003. The population of the riding was 84,077 in 2016. The riding contains part of Winnipeg (705,244 in 2016), as well as East St. Paul (9,372 in 2016), and West St. Paul (5,368 in 2016). The riding has a high Eastern European population with 13% being Polish and 24% being Ukrainian. 

Politically, this seat had been a reliable Liberal seat but has recently taken a turn to the Conservatives. The Liberals won the riding that had been reliable in 1988, a sign of the impending Chrétien majority. It stayed there until 2004 when Jean Chrétien wasn't Liberal leader anymore. It went to the Liberals in 2015 by just 1,239 votes, so it was an easy 2019 Conservative pickup. The seat is currently held by Conservative MP Raquel Dancho.

The second-last Liberal to represent the riding was Rey Pagtakhan. In 1988, Rey Pagtakhan was the first Filipino-born Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons, beating 26-year incumbent David Orlikow (who also is worthy of a thread). In 2001, Pagtakhan was appointed Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), holding a few other cabinet positions after that. Notably, as Minister responsible for Manitoba, he oversaw the projects of the Red River Floodway and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. In 2019, this seat was 7/14 in Manitoba and 159/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is great, Kildonan was a local municipal name pre-1972 when Winnipeg absorbed them. The shape is also pretty good, nice rural/suburban split. As for individuality, there is a surprising amount of cabinet representation in this seat and every incumbent has such an interesting story.

We're off this weekend as I'm heading back to school, but we'll be back on Monday with King—Vaughan!

Kenora (Ontario) 137/338

 Kenora (Ontario)

Today we're in Northern Ontario with Kenora!

Kenora has existed as a riding since 2003, created from Kenora—Rainy River. The population was 62,556 in 2016. The riding contains the communities of Kenora (15,096 in 2016), Dryden (7,749 in 2016), and Sioux Lookout (5,272 in 2016). The riding has one of the highest proportions of indigenous residents, with 46.8% of the residents having some aboriginal identity.

Politically, the riding had typically been held by the Liberals until the 21st century. Liberal MP Bob Nault held the seat from 1988-2004, the seat stayed with the Liberals the next two elections but lost it to the Conservatives in 2008. The Bob Nault took it back in 2015, but lost it in 2019 to Eric Melillo. The seat is currently held by Conservative MP Eric Melillo.

In 2015, all three competitive parties had senior members of their respective parties. The Conservatives had Harper cabinet minister (and future Ford cabinet minister) Greg Rickford. The NDP had Howard Hampton, former Attorney general and former leader of the Ontario NDP. The Liberals had former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Bob Nault. Ultimately, Nault won with Hampton in second and Rickford in third. In 2019, this seat was 13/121 in Ontario and 41/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is basically perfect, it doesn't contain the entire Kenora district, but that's only if you're being very nitpicky. The shape is basically the same reasoning as above, not a huge concern, especially for an underpopulated riding. As for individuality, we love a competitive riding and that 2015 roster is unreal on second glance.

Tomorrow we're in Winnipeg with Kildonan—St. Paul!

Kelowna—Lake Country (British Columbia) 136/338

 Kelowna—Lake Country (British Columbia)

Today we're in Kelowna—Lake Country!

Kelowna—Lake Country has existed as a riding since 1997, created from Okanagan Centre. The population was 119,388 in 2016. The riding contains the city of Kelowna (127,380 in 2016, shared with Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola), as well as the district municipality of Lake Country (12,922 in 2016). Lake Country is the only municipality in BC that uses a ward system for municipal elections. 

Politically, this seat, much like the rest of the BC interior, has typically been safe for the Conservatives. However, in 2015 this seat went to the Liberals, the first time the Liberals have won a seat in the interior since 1974. The Green candidate dropped out early on and threw his support to the Liberals, and the Green Party of Canada didn't nominate a new candidate. This seat is currently held by Conservative MP Tracy Gray.

From 2013-2017, Premier Christy Clark represented part of this riding. She lost her seat in Vancouver-Point Grey in 2013, despite the BC Liberals winning a majority government. MLA Ben Stewart vacated his seat for her to run in the by-election. Christy Clark was the premier of BC from March 14th, 2011 until July 18, 2017, becoming the first woman to lead a party into an election win. BC has had a female premier before, Social Credit Rita Johnson was the premier for seven months in 1991 until the 1991 election, where the SoCreds lost almost all of their seats. In 2019, this seat was 24/42 in BC and 120/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is very good, names the two main municipalities in the riding. The shape is also pretty good, goes with a rural/urban split rather than an urban core Kelowna seat. As for individuality, it is cool that the riding flipped in 2015 after staying Conservative for years, and how easily it flipped back in a not great year for Liberals.

Tomorrow we're in Northern Ontario with Kenora!

Kanata—Carleton (Ontario) 135/338

 Kanata—Carleton (Ontario)

Today we're in Kanata—Carleton!

Kanata—Carleton has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created almost entirely from Carleton—Mississippi Mills. The population of the riding was 110,960 in 2016. The riding contains the former city of Kanata (117,304 in 2016), as well as the rural communities of Constance Bay and Carp. This riding grew 10% between 2011 and 2016, second only to Carleton, which grew by 15%.

Politically, this seat has been a bit more Conservative than the rest of the Ottawa suburbs, again second only to Carleton. In 2000 it flipped by under 1,900 votes to the Canadian Alliance. Granted, the riding was much more rural. In 2015, it was picked up by the Liberals, winning the seat by over 50%. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Jenna Sudds.

The MP before Sudds was Karen McCrimmon. Karen joined the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, later joining The Windsor Regiment (RCAC) as a Reservist. This training and service led her to join the Regular Force, becoming an air navigator, the first female to do so. She ran in Carleton—Mississippi Mills in 2011, marginally improving the Liberals' performance. She then went on to win the seat in 2015, retiring from politics in 2021. In 2019, this seat was 19/121 in Ontario and 62/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, Kanata now has more than 117,304 people, which probably nets Kanata its own riding next representation order. The shape is also okay, not a big fan of the little arm that sticks out on the eastern edge. As for individuality, not a lot of ridings can say they increased Liberal vote share in 2011.

Tomorrow we're back in BC with Kelowna—Lake Country!

Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo (British Columbia) 134/338

 Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo (British Columbia)

Today we're in Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo!

Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo has existed as a riding since 2003. The population was 124,358 in 2016. The population centers are Kamloops (90,280 in 2016), Clearwater (2,324 in 2016), and One Hundred Mile House (1,980 in 2016). The riding has a sizeable indigenous population of 12,925, with 3,021 of those coming from the Kamloops 1 Indian Reserve.

Politically, this seat has had the same placings of the four main parties since 2006 (except 2021). The Conservatives have held the seat since 2000, when they took it from the NDP, the second place party in all but two elections since. The Liberals have been in third for the most part, making 2015 a three way race. The Greens had been in fourth until 2021, but were close to taking third in 2011 and 2019. The seat is currently held by Conservative MP Frank Caputo.

As many of you may know, the Kamloops Indian Residential School is the site of where the first bodies of indigenous children were found in May of 2021. In short, the "Indian residential school" system was meant to assimilate indigenous children into colonized culture, and as a result, many indigenous children never made it home, including the estimated 215 from this site. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report estimated the number of graves in Canada to be 3,200. In 2019, this seat was 29/42 in BC and 165/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is great, maybe a tad long, but the riding does contain Kamloops as well as the Thompson and Cariboo regions. The shape is fine, I do wish the way they split the Cariboo region was a little cleaner. As for individuality, it's interesting seeing the different surges and declines and seeing how after twenty years a riding can stay pretty much the same.

Tomorrow we're in Ottawa with Kanata—Carleton!