Kenora

This northwestern Ontario riding has the smallest riding population in the province and one of the largest land areas. It stretches from the Ontario-Manitoba border in the west and the U.S. border in the southwest to the western shores of Hudson Bay and the Nunavut border in the north. The riding contains part of Kenora and Thunder Bay territorial districts. Major centres include Kenora, Dryden, Pickle Lake and Sioux Narrows.

A large native population lives in the Sioux Lookout area and also on the many reserves in the riding. In the 2006 census, the total aboriginal population was 41 per cent, one of the highest in Canada. For many of the First Nations communities in the north, the nearest polling station is an airplane ride away.

The average family income in the riding is $71,821 and unemployment is 8.8 per cent. The major employer is the service sector.

The riding of Kenora-Rainy River was established in 1924. In 2004, the riding was renamed Kenora after the southern boundary was adjusted to put Rainy River and Fort Frances in the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding.

Population: 64,291 (2006 census; an increase of 6.1% since 2001)

Political History

In 2006, Liberal Roger Valley beat Conservative Bill Brown, winning by 1,503 votes.

Valley was also the winner in 2004, when he earned 36 per cent of the vote, enough to beat the NDP's Susan Barclay with 32 per cent.

Liberal Bob Nault served four terms in Kenora-Rainy River from 1988 to 2004. Nault was minister of Indian affairs and northern development under Jean Chrétien. Kenora-Rainy River has elected Liberals or Liberal-Labour candidates almost exclusively since 1925, though New Democrat John Parry served one term after the 1984 election.

The riding has had two long-serving MPs who were Liberal-Labour candidates for part of their career: William Benedickson who was in office from 1945-65, and John Reid, who held office from 1965-80.

Kenora-Rainy River:

• 1925-45 inclusive - LIB
• 1949-63 inclusive - LIB.LAB.
• 1965 - LIB
• 1968 - LIB.LAB.
• 1972 -80 inclusive - LIB
• 1984 - NDP
• 1988 - 2000 inclusive - LIB

Kenora:

• 2004, 2006 - LIB