Okanagan - Coquihalla

This southern Okanagan riding contains the cities of Penticton and Merritt, the district municipalities of Summerland, Logan Lake and Peachland and many First Nations reserves.

The 2006 census found that 15 per cent of residents are immigrants. Six per cent are aboriginal. Twenty-two per cent are older than 65 – one of the highest proportions in Canada.

Retail trade and the service sector are the main sources of employment, followed by construction and manufacturing. Agriculture – centred on fruit trees, vineyards and cattle – also provides a significant number of jobs. The average family income is $69,836 and the unemployment rate is 6.3 per cent.

This riding was created in 1996 by combining the bulk of Okanagan-Similkameen-Merritt with smaller portions of Okanagan Centre and Fraser Valley East. In the 2004 redistribution, the riding lost 18 per cent of its population but added residents from Kamloops-Thompson and Highland Valleys, and Kelowna.

Population: 107,316 (2006 census; an increase of 5.4% since 2001)

Political History

Former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day held on to this seat for the Conservatives in 2006, defeating Liberal David Perry by more than 13,000 votes. It was a close repeat of the 2004 race in which Day beat Liberal Vanessa Sutton by 13,008 votes.

The Reform's Jim Hart won easily in 1993 and 1997, but he resigned in 2000 to create a vacancy for Day. Day easily won the subsequent byelection (versus New Democrat Ken Ellis) and won the general election in a walk, beating Liberal Tom Chapman by nearly 19,000 votes. Day served as leader until March 2002. In 2004, Hart challenged Day for the Conservative nomination in this riding and lost.

Before Hart, this riding was held by Tory Fred King (1979-88) and the NDP's Jack Whittaker (1988-93).

Okanagan-Coquihalla:

• 1997 - REF
• 2000 byelection, 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - CON