Results, Ridings and Candidates

Calgary Southwest

2008 Results

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This residential riding takes in the southwest corner of Calgary and is bounded by the city limits in the west and south, the CP Rail line in the east and Glenmore Trail Southwest in the north. Glenmore Reservoir is in the northern part of the riding.

The mother tongue of most residents – 78 per cent – is English, with a francophone population of just over one per cent. Immigrants make up almost a quarter of the population. Thirty-one per cent of those over age 25 have a university certificate or degree.

The service sector and retail trade are the major sources of employment. Mining and oil and gas extraction provide almost seven per cent of jobs. The 2006 census snows an average family income of $122,272 and an unemployment rate of 3.8 per cent.

Calgary Southwest was formed in 1986 from parts of Calgary South, East and West. Twenty per cent of the riding was redistributed elsewhere in 1996 and another seven per cent was removed in 2004.

Population: 120,750 (2006 census; an increase of 11.9% since 2001)

Political History

This is the riding of Preston Manning and Stephen Harper. Manning, founder of the Reform Party, came to power here in 1993 by trouncing two-term Tory incumbent Bobbie Sparrow, with a margin of victory of nearly 29,000 votes. Manning won easily in 1997 and 2000. He gave up the Reform leadership and was beaten in a leadership campaign for the Canadian Alliance by Stockwell Day. Manning resigned from Parliament in 2002.

In the byelection to replace him, Alliance leader Stephen Harper beat New Democrat Bill Phipps by 9,387 votes. In March 2004, Harper was chosen to lead the new Conservative Party of Canada. Three months later, he held the seat in the federal election, winning over Liberal candidate Avalon Roberts. In the 2006 election, Harper secured the seat again, finishing 34,996 votes ahead of Liberal candidate Mike Swanson.

Prior to 1993, Tories have long been dominant here. During his tenure as prime minister from 1930-35, Conservative R.B. Bennett was the MP for Calgary South.