Humber - St. Barbe - Baie Verte

This riding occupies Newfoundland's west coast, running along the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the Strait of Belle Isle separating it from Labrador. The stunning Gros Morne National Park is here, as is Newfoundland's second-largest city, Corner Brook, and sizable towns such as Deer Lake, St. Anthony, Pasadena and Baie Verte.

In the 2006 census, 94 per cent of residents said they were born in Newfoundland and Labrador. Almost all of them listed English as their mother tongue. Slightly more than one per cent came from abroad.

Industries in the riding include manufacturing, fishing and forestry. Corner Brook is known for its pulp and paper mills. Some mining takes place in the Baie Verte region. Tourism is growing on the Northern Peninsula. The average family income is $56,125 and the unemployment rate is 24.4 per cent.

Population: 73,171 (2006 census; a decrease of 4.3% since 2001)

Political History

This riding continued the tradition of Liberal voting in 2006 when Gerry Byrne received 52 per cent of the vote and defeated Conservative Cyril Pelley.

This riding has voted Liberal since 1980, when it first sent a young Brian Tobin to Ottawa. Tobin was re-elected in 1984, 1988 and 1993, and resigned in 1996 to become the province's premier. In the subsequent byelection, voters picked Byrne, who has held the seat ever since. In 2004, Byrne won more than twice the votes of his nearest challenger, Conservative Wynanne Downer.

Prior to Tobin's 1980 win, this seat was held by the NDP (from 1978-80), the Tories (from 1968-78), and the Liberals (1949-68).

In 1986, the riding became Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte.

• 1968, 1972, 1974 - PC
• 1978 byelection, 1979 - NDP
• Since 1980 - LIB