Red Deer

This central Alberta riding consists of the county of Red Deer. More than half of the population lives in the city of Red Deer. Sylvan Lake and Innisfail are the other population centres.

Eight per cent of the residents are immigrants and four per cent are aboriginals. English is the mother tongue of 90 per cent of the population.

The petrochemical industry, construction, manufacturing and the service sector are major employers.The agriculture sector, which includes ranching and mixed grains, provides about four per cent of jobs. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $93,768 and an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent.

The riding was established in 1907. In 2004, about one-fifth of its population was redistributed elsewhere. Added were 2,543 residents from Wild Rose and 2,835 from Crowfoot.

Population: 124,063 (2006 census; an increase of 18.1% since 2001)

Political History

In the past five elections, Bob Mills, running under the Reform, Canadian Alliance and Conservative banners, has racked up some of the biggest wins in federal politics. In 2004, he won nearly three-quarters of the votes cast, trouncing Liberal Luke Kurata by 28,216 ballots. In 2006, he repeated that feat when he defeated NDP candidate Kelly Bickford by more than 33,000 votes.

This riding was largely dominated by the Social Credit party between 1935 and 1968. In the latter years of that reign, the Red Deer MP was Social Credit Leader Robert Thompson. He quit the party after the Quebec wing took it over. He was re-elected in 1968 as a Tory, beginning 25 years of PC control. Thompson was succeeded by Gordon Towers, who won five elections from 1972 to 1984.

• 1908, 1911 - LIB
• 1917 - CONS
• 1921, 1925 - PROG
• 1926, 1930 - UFA
• 1935 - SC
• 1940 - NEW DEMOCRACY
• 1945-57 inclusive - SC
• 1958 - PC
• 1962, 1963, 1965 - SC
• 1968-88 inclusive - PC
• 1993, 1997 - REF
• 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - CON