Lakeland (Alberta) 151/338

 Lakeland (Alberta)

Today we're in rural Alberta with Lakeland!

Lakeland has existed as a riding from 1997-2004 and from 2015-present. The population of the riding was 105,993 in 2021 (happy Census day everyone). The population centers are Lloydminster (19,739 in 2021), Bonnyville (6,404 in 2021), and St. Paul (5,863 in 2021). The riding is named for the former county.

Politically, very strong Conservative/Reform/PC riding. One notable thing about this riding is that in 1993, this seat was the best performance for the PC's in rural Alberta, second best across the prairies, second only to Lisgar—Marquette. The reason for this? Unclear, but the PC's did well in Vegreville and Vermillion the year after, but that might be due to the local name recognition of Les Parsons (more on him later). This seat is currently held by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs.

Les Parsons has never been elected to office before, but in my research for this riding, I found that he has quite a story. He first ran for office in Vegreville—Lloydminster in 1997 under Joe Clark's PC's. Post-CPC merger, he went to the Green Party of Canada, getting involved in the Quebec Green Party and being their Fitness and Sport critic. He ran in Wetaskiwin in 2008 as a Green, receiving 8.05% of the vote, performing quite well in Lacombe, where he resided. Granted, "well" is ~15%, but that's about the best you can ask for in rural Alberta. In 2019, this seat was 32/34 in Alberta and 336/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, in both a historical context and the fact that the land is covered in lakes. The shape is a little awkward, but props to them for keeping the counties intact. As for individuality, not super, but at least northeast Alberta has two women representing them, vs no other women in rural Alberta.

See you later today in Lambton—Kent—Middlesex!

Lac-Saint-Louis (Quebec) 150/338

Lac-Saint-Louis (Quebec)

Today we're in Lac-Saint-Louis!

Lac-Saint-Louis has existed as a riding since 1997, created from Vaudreuil and Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis. The population of the riding was 108,579 in 2016. The population centers are Pointe-Claire (31,380 in 2016), Kirkland (20,151 in 2016), and Beaconsfield (19,324 in 2016), it also contains part of Montreal.

Politically, this seat has been Liberal since 1993. Previous to this seat going to the Liberals, it was held by PC Minister Bob Layton (father of Jack Layton and grandfather of Mike Layton). He narrowly won the seat by just over 700 votes in 1988. The seat has been safe for the Liberals in all one election; the 2011 election was a three way race with just over 3,000 votes separating first from third. This seat is currently held by Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia.

The MP before Scarpaleggia was Clifford Lincoln. Lincoln was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1981, holding the seat until 1989. He resigned in 1990 and ran in the Chambly by-election, which gave the NDP their first seat in Quebec. After losing, he suspended his campaign for the Liberal Party Leadership, which Jean Chretien went on to win. All told, he served federally from 1993-2000. In 2019, this seat was 77/78 in Quebec and 301/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is pretty good, there's no population center big enough so why not name it after the lake? The shape is also pretty good, I like that it is all one contiguous riding and doesn't cross Canal Sainte-Anne. As for individuality, not super individual, this part of Montreal is super Liberal and this doesn't buck that trend.

Tomorrow we're back in Alberta with Lakeland!

Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec) 149/338

 Lac-Saint-Jean (Quebec)

Today we're in Lac-Saint-Jean! 

Lac-Saint-Jean has existed as a riding since 1925 to present, getting drawn out from 2004-2015. The population of the riding was 104,911 in 2016. The population centers are Alma (30,776 in 2016), Dolbeau-Mistassini (14,250 in 2016), and Saint-Félicien (10,238 in 2016). Previous to 1949, the riding was named Lake St. John/Lake St-John—Roberval.

Politically, this seat has gone through some wild swings, even for Quebec standards. First of all, the seat was a PC-Bloc Quebecois seat in 1993, which warranted a 60% Bloc swing. In 2007, the seat was taken back by the Conservatives with a 23% swing. In a 2017 by-election, the seat swung 20% to the Liberals, swinging 20% to the Bloc in the next general election. The seat is currently held by Bloc MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe.

One of the two MP's to represent this area in from 1988-1996 was Lucien Bouchard. Bouchard was a Mulroney cabinet minister, who either resigned or was fired by Mulroney (depends who you ask) after declaring himself a Quebec Sovereigntist. Bouchard formed the Bloc Québécois with seven other MP's at the time (five PC, two Liberal). In the subsequent federal election, the Bloc won 54 seats out of the 75 Quebec seats, forming the official opposition due to the Reform Party falling short by two seats. It should also be noted that Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe is the son of the first elected Bloc MP Gilles Duceppe. In 2019, this seat was 38/78 in Quebec and 173/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is really good, Lac Saint Jean is a name used for the region, the lake, and the historical counties. The shape is also pretty good, I like that they kept all the lakeshore communities together this time. As for individuality, it is interesting how often this seat has changed in unconventional ways.

Tomorrow we're in Montreal with Lac-Saint-Louis!

Labrador (Newfoundland and Labrador) 148/338

Labrador (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Today we're in Labrador!

Labrador has existed as a riding since 1949, the first election after Newfoundland joined Canada on March 31st of that year. The population of the riding was 27,197 in 2016. The riding contains the communities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay (8,109 in 2016), Labrador City (7,220 in 2016), and Nain (1,125 in 2016). The riding is the smallest in Canada by population.

Politically, this seat has been Liberal for almost the entire history of the riding. It has only gone non-Liberal twice. The first time was in 1968 when Robert Stanfield's PC's won all but one seat in Newfoundland. The next was a narrow victory for Peter Penashue in 2011, however he resigned and lost in the subsequent by-election after it was found that he spent more than allowed in the general election. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Yvonne Jones.

Yvonne Jones won the seat in the 2013 by-election, defeating Penashue by over 1,800 votes. Jones had served in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1996 until her 2013 resignation, serving in Roger Grimes' cabinet. She became the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party in 2007, one of only three Liberal MHA's at the time. She resigned due to her breast cancer recovery, but won her seat in the 2011 election. In 2019, this seat was 2/7 in Newfoundland and Labrador and 110/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is perfect, the seat has been purely Labrador since 1988. The shape is also perfect, I think it's good that remote northern communities get special interest/representation in the House of Commons. As for individuality, the fact that it has been Liberal for all but six years since 1949 is wild to me.

Tomorrow we're back in Quebec with Lac-Saint-Jean!

La Prairie (Quebec) 147/338

 La Prairie (Quebec)

Today we're in southern Quebec with La Prairie!

La Prairie has existed as a riding three separate times, from 1867-1896, from 1968-1997, and 2015 to present. The population of the riding was 105,496 in 2016. The riding contains the cities of Saint-Constant (27,359 in 2016), La Prairie (24,110 in 2016), and Candiac (21,047 in 2016). 

Politically, this seat has been receptive to the recent trends in Quebec. Held by the PC's from 1984-1988, won by the Bloc in 1993 and stayed with them until 2011. Won by the NDP in 2011, swung to the Liberals in 2015, and made its way back to the Bloc in 2019. Worth noting that the Liberals had their best Montérégie performance here in 2011, winning 27% of the vote. This seat is currently held by Bloc MP Alain Therrien.

This seat has very interesting political geography. The east side of the riding (La Prairie, Candiac) tends to vote Liberal while the west side is usually Bloc/2011 NDP. There are a couple factors that push this: the east side has a higher average income ($99k in La Prairie and $135k in Candiac), a higher visible % (10.8% in La Prairie and 11.4% in Candiac), and the riding is right next to the safe Liberal riding Brossard—Saint Lambert. In 2019, this seat was 16/78 in Quebec and 48/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is okay, I do wish that it were called Roussillon, it has most of the region, and I'd rather have a name too broad than one that only represents 20% of the constituents. The shape is also nice, a good clean shape. As for individuality, cool geography but it is pretty typical for a Montérégie seat.

See you soon in Labrador!

La Pointe-de-l'Île (Quebec) 146/338

 La Pointe-de-l'Île (Quebec)

Today we're in Montreal with La Pointe-de-l'Île!

La Pointe-de-l'Île has existed as a riding since 2004, created from Anjou—Rivière-des-Prairies, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve and Mercier. The population of the riding was 106,336 in 2016. The riding contains the city of Montréal-Est (3,850 in 2016), as well as part of the boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Politically, this is the safest Bloc Québécois seat on the island of Montreal, holding that title from 2000-2008, only losing the title in 2011 when the seat was lost to the NDP.  The seat was narrowly picked back up by the Bloc in 2015 and has been there since. The seat is currently held by Bloc MP Mario Beaulieu.

This part of the island has always been the most sovereigntist, which can be seen provincially. Before the Parti Québécois lost all their seats on the island in 2018, they held four seats on the island, including two in this riding. Speaking of those ridings, Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is running in Bourget (west side of the riding), which the party only lost by literally 500 votes in 2018. In 2019, this seat was 32/78 in Quebec and 155/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, a bit literal, but also seems to be a regional name (please correct me). The shape is not my favourite, the west side between this and Honoré-Mercier is jagged, but it is also the municipal boundary of Anjou, so there is a reason. As for individuality, I've got to hand it to the riding for being the only Bloc seat on the island.

Tomorrow we're not too far with La Prairie!

Kootenay—Columbia (British Columbia) 145/338

 Kootenay—Columbia (British Columbia)

Today we're in southeastern BC in Kootenay—Columbia!

Kootenay—Columbia has existed as a riding since 1997, created from Kootenay East and Kootenay West—Revelstoke. The population of the riding was 112,354 in 2016. The riding contains the communities of Cranbrook (20,047 in 2016), Nelson (10,572 in 2016) and Revelstoke (7,547 in 2016). Despite the Kootenay region having many rural communities, they still account for almost 150,000 people.

Politically, this seat has taken a sharp left turn recently. The seat was a PC/NDP flipper in the 80's, ultimately going to Reform MP Jim Abbott in 1993, staying with him until 2011 when David Wilks took over. The NDP surged 10 points in 2011, which combined with a weaker Conservative Party in 2015 made for a tight pick-up and a fair losing margin in 2019. The seat is currently held by Conservative MP Rob Morrison.

The geography in this riding makes for these tight elections. The Highway 3A/31 corridor from Nelson to Kaslo, with the NDP winning ~60% of the vote in Nelson and the Greens winning second with ~20% in 2019. Further north, Revelstoke is also a bright spot for the NDP, getting ~50% of the vote there in 2019. However, the Conservatives have dominated in Cranbrook and Creston, even in 2015 when they lost the seat. In 2019, this seat was 23/42 in BC and 103/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is great, the Columbia and Kootenay rivers run through the riding (as well as the regional districts containing those names). The shape is also good, unfortunately the two Kootenay Regional Districts and Columbia-Shuswap Regional District are two large to just attach two, so they must be split. As for individuality, it is interesting how it really has surged left while it has gone a little to the right provincially.

Tomorrow we're back in Quebec with La Pointe-de-l'Île!