Wetaskiwin

This is a largely rural riding between Edmonton and Red Deer. The North Saskatchewan River is the northwestern boundary. Edmonton's city limits form the boundary in the northeast. Major centres are Wetaskiwin and Leduc; smaller communities include Ponoka, Lacombe and Rocky Mountain House.

Eleven per cent of residents are aboriginal and another six per cent are immigrants. Almost 90 per cent listed English as their mother tongue in the 2006 census. Less than one per cent listed French and about 1.5 per cent an aborginal language, mostly Cree.

Agriculture, oil and gas extraction, construction and the service sector are the largest employers. The average family income is $82,661 and unemployment is 4.5 per cent.

Wetaskiwin was established in 1924. In 1996, Wetaskiwin absorbed about 12 per cent of the old Elk Island riding. In 2004, one-quarter of the riding's population was redistributed, while 20,286 former residents of Red Deer were added, along with 2,764 from Crowfoot.

Population: 107,914 (2006 census; an increase of 6.7% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative Blake Calkins won the 2006 election, receiving 75 per cent of the vote and beating NDP candidate Jim Graves.

Prior to the most recent election, Conservative Dale Johnston had an easy time in the riding, winning four straight votes. In 2004, he defeated Liberal Rick Bonnett by 26,316 votes. Since 1993, he has won every race by at least 19,000 votes.

Before Johnston's first win under the Reform banner in 1993, Tories had controlled the riding for 35 years. Harry Moore held the seat from 1962 to 1972 and Stan Schellenberger was MP from 1972 to 1988. In 1988, Tory Willie Littlechild ran and won, becoming the first treaty Indian elected to the House of Commons.

Wetaskiwin:

• 1925 - LIB
• 1926, 1930 - UFA
• 1935-57 inclusive - SC
• 1958-88 inclusive - PC
• 1993, 1997 - REF
• 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - CON