Egmont

This Prince County riding makes up the western area of Prince Edward Island. It includes Summerside, the largest town and second-largest urban community in the province. The riding also includes the community of Sherbrooke, the Lennox Island Indian Reserve No. 1 and the islands of Hog, Bird and Holman.

Agriculture, mostly potatoes, and fishing, especially the lobster fishery, are the mainstays of the economy. There are many small businesses in and around Summerside and a number of small industries such as fish-processing plants. The average family income is $57,311 and unemployment is 14.6 per cent.

There is a significant francophone population, with 10 per cent listing French as their mother tongue. The total immigrant population is only about two per cent, according to the 2006 census.

In 2004, a small area from Malpeque riding, with a population of 10, was added to Egmont, which was established in 1966.

Population: 34,814 (2006 census; a decrease of 1.1% since 2001)

Political History

Liberal MP Joe McGuire won a sixth term in office in 2006, besting Conservative Edward Guergis.

In 2004, McGuire defeated Progressive Conservative Reg Harper by 4,857 votes.

The riding, which has also been known as Prince, was Tory in 1904 and Liberal from 1908 to 1953 inclusive. It was PC in 1957, 1958 and 1962 but Liberal in 1963.

PC David MacDonald won in Prince in 1965 and in Egmont in 1968 to 1979 inclusive. After the PC win in 1979, he was appointed minister of communications, secretary of state and the minister responsible for the status of women.

In 1980, Liberal George Henderson defeated PC MacDonald and won again in 1984. Henderson had been elected to the P.E.I. legislature in 1974. He resigned in 1988 and was appointed to the Canadian Pension Commission.

• 1968-79 inclusive - PC
• Since 1980 - LIB