Results, Ridings and Candidates

Parry Sound - Muskoka

2008 Results

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This largely rural riding along the eastern shores of Georgian Bay has a predominantly anglophone population, with almost 93 per cent calling English their mother tongue.

The riding runs from the Severn River in the southwest to Lake Nipissing in the northeast, with Algonquin Park running through most of the eastern part of the riding. Some of the larger centres include Parry Sound, Gravenhurst, Huntsville and Bracebridge. The riding also contains many native reserves.

This area's many lakes, including Lake Muskoka, Lake Joseph and Lake of Bays, make tourism a major industry. Retail trade, construction and manufacturing are also important to the riding's economy. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $73,506 and an unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent. Seniors make up 18 per cent of the population.

The riding of Parry Sound was established in 1903 and in 1947 became Parry Sound-Muskoka. Lines were redrawn in 1996. In the 2004 redistribution, the town of Killarney was moved into Nickel Belt and a southeastern corner of the riding was moved into Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

Population: 90,281 (2006 census; an increase of 6.5% since 2001)

Political History

Conservative Tony Clement took the riding in the 2006 election in a narrow victory over Liberal Andy Mitchell. Clement won by just 28 votes. Shortly after, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Clement as minister of health and minister for the federal economic development initiative for Northern Ontario.

In 2004, Liberal Andy Mitchell defeated Conservative Keith Montgomery to win a fourth term.

Mitchell was named minister of state for parks in 1997 and later became secretary of state for rural development. In 2003, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed him minister of Indian affairs and northern development. In 2004, he became minister of agriculture.

In 1997, Lewis MacKenzie ran against Mitchell as a Conservative candidate and lost. MacKenzie is a retired major-general of the Canadian Forces, renowned for his peacekeeping work in Sarajevo.

The riding elected PC Gordon Aitken as MP from 1957 to 1968 and then PC Stan Darling from 1972 to 1988.