Calgary Centre-North

This riding lies between Calgary-Nose Hill and Calgary Northeast. Calgary Centre-North runs from the Bow River in the south to Berkshire Boulevard Northwest, 14th Street Northwest and John Laurie Boulevard in the north and from the Deerfoot Trail Northeast and Beddington Trail Northeast in the east to Shaganappi Trail Northwest and Crowchild Trail Northwest in the west.

Twenty per cent of residents are immigrants, and almost 20 per cent list a mother tongue other than English or French. Chinese, German, Italian and Spanish make up 57 per cent of this group.

The service sector is the main employer. Education levels are high, with 31 per cent of residents over age 25 holding a university certificate or degree. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $97,148 and an unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent.

This riding was formed in 2004 by combining large swaths of Calgary-Nose Hill and Calgary Centre with a somewhat smaller section of Calgary Northeast.

Population: 114,615 (2006 census; a decrease of 2.2% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative incumbent Jim Prentice won the 2006 election, with NDP candidate John Chan finishing second. In 2004, Prentice took the riding over Liberal Cathy McCluskey by 17,050 votes.

The former Calgary Centre riding went to the Reform Party in 1993 and 1997, but in 2000, then-Tory leader Joe Clark upset incumbent Eric Lowther by 4,304 votes. Clark's victory was a comeback for the riding's Tories, who had held the seat from 1968 to 1993. For 21 of those years, the MP was Harvie Andre, who held a number of cabinet portfolios.

In Calgary-Nose Hill, Diane Ablonczy has won since 1993, representing the Reform (1993 and 1997), Canadian Alliance (2000) and Conservative (2004) parties.

Calgary North Centre:

• 2004, 2006 - CON