Carleton - Mississippi Mills

The Ottawa River forms the northern border of this affluent eastern Ontario riding. The suburban and rural area contains southwestern suburbs of Ottawa and the town of Mississippi Mills in Lanark County.

The riding is bordered on the east by Dunrobin Road, Riddell Drive, March Valley Road and Eagleson Road, on the southeast by McCordick Road and on the southwest by Ashton Station Road.

The riding has a large manufacturing sector, including high-tech companies in the technology enclave of Kanata. According to the 2006 census, 15 per cent of jobs are found in the professional, scientific and technical service areas. There are also a significant number of public servants. The average household income is $113,637 and the unemployment rate is 5.1 per cent.

In 2004, 63 per cent of Lanark-Carleton riding was combined with 19 per cent of Nepean-Carleton to form Carleton-Mississippi Mills. Lanark and Renfrew riding was first created in 1966 and renamed Lanark-Carleton in 1970. The 1996 redistribution kept 87 per cent of the riding.

Population: 128,915 (2006 census; an increase of 16% since 2001)

Political History

This riding has voted in Conservative Gordon O'Connor in the last two elections. Most recently in 2006, O'Connor defeated Liberal Isabel Metcalfe by 22,644 votes. In 2004, O'Connor took on Liberal Dan Wicklum and beat him by more than 10,000 votes.

In 2000, the Canadian Alliance's Scott Reid defeated Liberal Ian Murray by 1,859 votes. He was one of only two Alliance MPs from Ontario. In 1993 and 1997, Murray held the riding.

From 1917 to 1965, the riding of Lanark voted predominantly Tory, except for a single Liberal win in 1940. In 1968, Liberal Murray McBride won a close race in Lanark and Renfrew. The following election, PC Paul Dick won and held the riding until 1993. He served in Brian Mulroney's cabinet as minister of supply and services and minister of public works.

• 1968 - LIB
• 1972-88 inclusive - PC
• 1993, 1997 - LIB
• 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - CON