Louis-Hébert (Quebec) 168/338

 Louis-Hébert (Quebec)

Today we're in Quebec with Louis-Hébert!

Louis-Hébert has existed as a riding since 1968. The population of the riding was 111,322 in 2021. The riding is in Quebec City (549,459 in 2021, shared with six other ridings). The riding contains the former city of Sainte-Foy, which was amalgamated into Quebec City in 2002.

Politically, this seat doesn't like their incumbents. From 1993-2015, every MP only served one term, with the seat voting for the Bloc every other election. This seat went to the Liberals in 2000, the Conservatives in 2006, and the NDP in 2011. This seat is currently held by Liberal MP Joël Lightbound.

Sticking with the trend of Quebec provincial politics, the Quebec Liberals had held this seat since 1952, despite some VERY close calls in 1994 and 1998. The CAQ came within 1,400 votes of winning the seat in the 2018 general election. MNA Sébastien Proulx (originally ADQ MNA for Trois-Rivières from 2007-2008) resigned, sparking a by-election in which the CAQ won the seat, netting 244 more raw votes than the general election the year before. In 2019, this seat was 29/78 in Quebec and 117/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is not my favourite, it contains almost all of Sainte-Foy and I really don't like Quebec historical names. The shape is actually pretty good, again Sainte-Foy is a good boundary. As for individuality, I love how many times this riding has changed hands.

See you tomorrow in Louis-Saint-Laurent!

Longueuil—Saint-Hubert (Quebec) 167/338

 Longueuil—Saint-Hubert (Quebec)

Today we're in Longueuil—Saint-Hubert!

Longueuil—Saint-Hubert has existed as a riding since 1952, receiving its current name and shape in 2012. The population of the riding was 115,082 in 2021. The riding is in the city of Longueuil (254,483 in 2021) and contains part of the borough of Saint-Hubert as well as Old Longueuil (not defined, but it is within this riding).

Politically, this seat has, again, followed most of the Quebec historical trends. As such, despite the Liberals being within five points the past three elections (and less than 1,000 votes in 2015), they haven't won the seat since 1980. The seat is currently held by Bloc MP Denis Trudel.

Pierre Nantel. Where do we start? Pierre was swept up in the Orange Wave of 2011, beating incumbent Bloc MP Jean Dorion. He held on in 2015 by just 703 votes, beating out the Liberals and Bloc who were both within four points. He was dropped from NDP caucus following revelations that he had been in private talks to run for another political party in the 2019 federal election, which turned out to be the Green Party of Canada. He didn't win, but still performed better than Greens had typically done in the province. Nantel is running for the Parti Québécois in the upcoming Marie-Victorin by-election. In 2019, this seat was 14/78 in Quebec and 43/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, Saint-Hubert isn't entirely in this riding, but that's not the end of the world. The shape is also okay, the lines are clean and make sense. As for individuality, not super individual, but I'll throw it a bone for Pierre Nantel alone.

Tomorrow we'll be back in Quebec City with Louis-Hébert!

Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne (Quebec) 166/338

 Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne (Quebec)

Today we're in Quebec with Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne!

Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution, created from Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert and Saint-Lambert. The population of the riding was 112,257 in 2021. The riding is in the city of Longueuil (254,483 in 2021). The riding has a sizable Haitian population (3.4% vs. the 1.8% Quebec average).

Politically, this seat has been getting friendlier to the Liberals in recent years. It narrowly went to the Liberals in 1997 after it went for the Bloc in '93. It went back to the Bloc in 2004, staying there until the Orange Wave. It went back to the Liberals in 2015, where it has stayed since. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Sherry Romanado.

There is a by-election in this riding provincially (Marie-Victorin) after five-year incumbent Catherine Fournier was elected Mayor of Longueuil, becoming the third female mayor of the city. Marie-Victorin was a narrow Parti Quebecois victory in 2018, with the CAQ only 705 votes behind. Both the PQ and QS have notable names running here for the by-election: Pierre Nantel (former NDP MP) and Shophika Vaithyanathasarma (former Bloc candidate). In 2019, this seat was 10/78 in Quebec and 23/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is fine, Charles LeMoyne is a local historical name. The shape is okay, not really a fan of the cross-shape. As for individuality, the riding is Liberal federally and PQ provincially, doesn't happen too often around Montreal anymore.

See you tomorrow in Longueuil—Saint-Hubert!

Long Range Mountains (Newfoundland and Labrador) 165/338

 Long Range Mountains (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Today we're back in Newfoundland and Labrador with Long Range Mountains!

Long Range Mountains has existed as a riding since the 2012 redistribution. The population of the riding was 81,716 in 2021. The riding contains the communities of Corner Brook (19,333 in 2021), Stephenville (6,540 in 2021), and Deer Lake (4,864 in 2021). Corner Brook is the second largest population centre in Newfoundland after St. John's.

Politically, this seat has been Liberal since 1980 (at least the portion formerly known as Humber—Port au Port—St. Barbe/Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte). There have been a few surges for other parties here and there. The PCs/Conservatives haven't been far behind in 1984, 1997, and 2021, while the NDP performed well in 1980, incumbent NDP MP Fonse Faour lost the seat after holding it for two years. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP and Minister of rural economic development Gudie Hutchings.

Provincially, Premier Andrew Furey holds his seat here in Humber-Gros Morne. Furey has been Premier since August 19th, 2020, winning his provincial seat on October 22, 2020 in the by-election triggered by Premier Dwight Ball's resignation. During the Omicron COVID outbreak, Furey, as a medical doctor, volunteered around the province and administered booster vaccine doses. In 2019, this seat was 6/7 in Newfoundland and Labrador and 175/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is great, I love geographic names, especially when there is no major urban centre. The shape is also great, I don't know why they didn't do something like this sooner, I really don't like the way the other representation orders split up the west coast as much as they did. As for individuality, it is the last non-St. John's seat for the NDP and the seat is definitely trending towards the Conservatives, along with much of rural Atlantic Canada.

See you soon in Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne!

London—Fanshawe (Ontario) 164/338

 London—Fanshawe (Ontario)

Today we're in London—Fanshawe!

London—Fanshawe has existed as a riding since 1993, created from London East and London—Middlesex. The population of the riding was 127,068 in 2021. The riding is in the city of London and contains the neighbourhoods of Argyle, Huron Heights, and Glen Cairn. This riding only grew 6.4%, compared to over 10% in the other two urban London ridings.

Politically, this seat has taken a turn to the left in recent years. In 1988, the seat was won by the PC's by a mere 8 votes, making it an easy pickup in 1993. The seat was Liberal until 2006, when the NDP picked it up, staying with Irene Mathyssen, former Rae cabinet minister, until she retired in 2019. This seat is currently held by NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen. 

Similar to other Chrétien-era southern Ontario Liberal MP's, former MP Pat O'Brien is known for his socially conservative positions. Pat O'Brien was very critical of Prime Minister Paul Martin for not allowing a free vote on same-sex marriage. Eventually, he left the party in 2005 over the Sponsorship Scandal as well as his positions on same-sex marriage. In 2019, this seat was 52/121 in Ontario and 131/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, Fanshawe is in the north of the riding, and while not very populous, is historically important to the city. The shape is also nice, I like that it hugs London North Centre, creating a backwards "L". As for individuality, you don't see too many daughters succeeding mothers in the House of Commons.

Tomorrow we'll be back in Newfoundland and Labrador with Long Range Mountains!

London West (Ontario) 163/338

 London West (Ontario)

Today we're back in London with London West!

London West has existed as a riding since 1968. The population of the riding was 139,305 in 2021. The riding is in the city of London and contains the neighbourhoods of Hyde Park, Oakridge, and Byron. The Thames River runs through the riding, roughly splitting the riding in half.

Politically, this seat has been mostly Liberal. The first time it went non-Liberal was from 1984-1993, when it was held by Mulroney/Campbell minister Tom Hockin. Due to a split opposition, the riding was safe for Sue Barnes from 1993-2006. In 2008, future London Mayor Ed Holder won this seat, holding it until losing it in 2015. This seat is currently held by Liberal MP Arielle Kayagaba.

On June 6th, 2021, tragedy hit this riding when a man rammed a family of five with his pickup truck, killing all but one, who was severely injured. According to London Police, the attack was motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. The tragedy sparked a national conversation around modern Islamophobia in Canada, with all parties in the House of Commons calling for "an emergency national action summit to tackle Islamophobia." In 2019, this seat was 58/121 in Ontario and 140/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, there is some confusion as West London is more based in London North Centre. The shape is also good, I really like the way the London ridings are shaped. As for individuality, having the current mayor be here previously is pretty cool, as well as the current MP being a former city councillor.

See you soon in London—Fanshawe!

London North Centre (Ontario) 162/338

 London North Centre (Ontario)

Today we're in London North Centre!

London North Centre has existed as a riding since 1997, initially named London—Adelaide. The population of the riding was 138,255 in 2021. The riding is in the city of London and contains the neighbourhoods of Masonville, Carling, and Stoneybrook. The riding also contains the University of Western Ontario.

Politically, this seat has been Liberal for much of its existence, but not always reliably Liberal. It was won with over 50% in 1997 and 2000 with a pretty weak opposition. However, with the Conservative merger of 2003, the riding got much more competitive, especially with the rising NDP. This culminated in the Conservatives winning the seat in 2011 by over 1,650 votes. The seat is currently held by Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos. 

From 1987-2006, this seat was represented by Joe Fontana. Fontana was minister of Labour in Paul Martin's government, even rumoured to run for the Liberal leadership, but ultimately deciding not to. In 2010, Fontana narrowly beat out incumbent mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, serving as mayor of London until June 19, 2014, when he stepped down due to criminal charges. In 2019, this seat was 71/121 in Ontario and 176/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is fine, I wish that it had a neighbourhood name, but cardinal directions are fine. The shape is also pretty good, it is almost surely getting smaller next time around with how much it's growing. As for individuality, the mayor of London serving here is pretty cool.

Tomorrow we're still in London with London—Fanshawe!