First contested 1968 District webpage profile, map Elector 66,170 | District created 1966 Last contested 2015 | |
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MP Dominic LeBlancLiberal Census divisions Kent County, New Brunswick | ||
Beauséjour riding (formerly known as Beauséjour—Petitcodiac) is a federal electoral district in eastern New Brunswick, Canada, which has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. It replaced Westmorland—Kent, which was represented from 1968 to 1988.
Contents
- History
- Federal riding associations
- Members of Parliament
- BeausjourPetitcodiac 19972003
- Beausjour 19871997
- 2011 election
- References
Beauséjour is largely Acadian and Francophone, with a significant Anglophone section in the southern section of the riding.
The riding consists of most of Westmorland County to the east and north of Moncton; and almost all of Kent County. Major towns in the riding include Shediac, Cap-Pelé, Sackville, Bouctouche and Richibucto. The neighbouring ridings are Miramichi—Grand Lake, Fundy Royal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, and Cumberland—Colchester in Nova Scotia; it is connected to the riding of Malpeque on Prince Edward Island by the Confederation Bridge.
History
Westmorland—Kent was created in 1966 from Kent, and part of Westmorland that was not included in the Moncton riding. It was abolished when it was incorporated into the new riding of Beauséjour in 1987.
Beauséjour was created in 1987 primarily from Westmorland—Kent, incorporating parts of Moncton and Northumberland—Miramichi ridings.
In 1997, it was renamed "Beauséjour—Petitcodiac", and expanded to include most of Albert County and the Petitcodiac area of western Westmorland County. This created a "doughnut" around Greater Moncton, which was a separate district.
In 2003, Beauséjour—Petitcodiac was abolished when it was redistributed into a new Beauséjour riding and into Fundy riding.
The new Beauséjour riding was created primarily from Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, incorporating parts of Miramichi and Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe ridings.
The riding has voted Liberal in every election except 1997, when it elected a New Democratic Party Member of Parliament (MP) in what was mostly seen as a protest vote. Angela Vautour switched to the Progressive Conservatives midway through her term, and was defeated in 2000.
Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien represented Beauséjour for a short time in the early 1990s after he won the Liberal leadership. The sitting MP stepped down to allow him to have a seat in the House of Commons. Former Governor General of Canada Roméo LeBlanc also held a seat in Beauséjour for a time, and his son Dominic LeBlanc is its current MP.
As per the 2012 federal electoral redistribution, this riding will lose small territories to Miramichi—Grand Lake and Fundy Royal, but will gain territory from Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe.
Federal riding associations
Riding associations are the local branches of the national political parties:
Members of Parliament
This riding has elected the following Members of Parliament:
Beauséjour—Petitcodiac 1997–2003
Change for Progressive Conservative candidate Angela Vautour are based on the party's results in 1997. She personally received 6.88% fewer votes based on her results as an NDP candidate.
Change for the Canadian Alliance for 1997 are based on the results of its predecessor, the Reform Party.
Beauséjour 1987–1997
All changes are from the 1990 by-election, with the exception of the Progressive Conservative Party, who did not field a candidate.
2011 election
In 2011, a Student Vote was conducted at participating Canadian schools to parallel the 2011 Canadian federal election results. The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority. Schools with a large student body that reside in another electoral district had the option to vote for candidates outside of the electoral district then where they were physically located.