Northumberland - Quinte West

This southeastern Ontario riding stretches along the shore of Lake Ontario and north to Rice Lake.

It contains the County of Northumberland and part of the County of Hastings, comprising the City of Quinte West, formerly Trenton, Sidney, Murray and Frankford. Also in the riding are the towns of Port Hope, Cobourg and Brighton and the Alderville First Nation Reserve. Canada's largest military base is in the riding.

Although Northumberland-Quinte West is mostly rural, there are significant manufacturing and retail trade sectors. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $74,093 and an unemployment rate of 5.8 per cent. The population is 92 per cent English-speaking.

In 2004, part of Prince Edward-Hastings riding was added in the southeast and the riding was renamed Northumberland-Quinte West. Northumberland riding existed from 1914 to 1966 and was re-established in 1976, from portions of Prince Edward-Hastings and Northumberland-Durham riding.

Population: 123,706 (2006 census; an increase of 4% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative Rick Norlock broke the Liberal's 16-year winning streak when he defeated Liberal incumbent Paul Macklin in the 2006 election by 3,267 votes.

In 2004, Macklin won a second term with a 323-vote lead over Conservative Doug Galt. Macklin succeeded Liberal Christine Stewart, who was MP from 1988 to 2000.

Tory George Hees represented this riding from 1965 to 1988. He had been elected in Broadview riding. Hees was minister of transport and minister of trade and commerce before he had a falling out with then prime minister John Diefenbaker. He later served as minister of veterans affairs under the prime minister Brian Mulroney. When he resigned, Mulroney appointed him ambassador-at-large to examine transportation, storage and distribution of food aid.

Northumberland:

• 1979, 1980, 1984 - PC
• 1988-2004 inclusive - LIB
• 2006 - CON