Pickering - Scarborough East

This fast-growing Toronto area riding contains part of the former city of Scarborough and part of Pickering.

It runs from Lake Ontario in the south to Finch Avenue and Finch Avenue East in the north, between Valley Farm Road, Highway 401 and Brock Road in the east and Meadowvale Road, Sheppard Avenue East, Morningside Avenue and Highland Creek in the west.

Manufacturing, retail trade and the financial services sector are among the major sources of employment. Average family income is $105,416 and unemployment is 6.7 per cent.

According to the 2006 census, the immigrant population is 36 per cent, with the Indian community at 10.5 per cent making up the largest single group..

The Pickering-Scarborough East riding was created in 2004 from 44 per cent of Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, 40 per cent of Scarborough East and a small area from Scarborough-Rouge River. Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge was created in 1986 from parts of the former Ontario riding and Durham riding.

Population: 106,602 (2006 census; a decrease of 0.1% since 2001)

Political History

Liberal Dan McTeague won his fifth term as an MP in 2006, winning 52 per cent of the vote and defeating Conservative Tim Dobson.

McTeague won with 57 per cent of the vote in the previous election and defeated the Alliance's Ken Giffith in Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge in 2000.

Conservative Michael Starr represented the old Ontario riding from a 1952 byelection through to 1968, when Liberal Norm Cafik took over as MP for three terms. PC Scott Fennell held the riding from 1979 to 1988, when PC René Soetens won one term.

Scarborough East elected Conservatives in 1972 and from 1979 to 1984 and Liberals in 1968 and 1974. In 1993, Liberal Doug Peters, who served as secretary of state for international financial institutions, was elected. Liberal John McKay won two terms in Scarborough East in 1997 and 2000.

• 2004, 2006 - LIB