Vaughan

There are a few vacancies in the Canadian House of Commons, and to begin this blog I will start off with the vacancy in my home province of Ontario. That is in the riding of Vaughan. It is a suburban riding located adjacent to the city of Toronto to its north. The riding contains most of the actual city of Vaughan, but not all. The southeastern part of the city is in the riding of Thornhill.

It is the most Catholic riding in Ontario, the least Protestant and the least irreligious. 77% of the riding is Catholic. It is also home to the least amount of aboriginals in the province. It is also home the highest percentage of second generation Canadians in the country, with 37% of the population having parents born outside the country. It also has the highest percentage of married couples in the country (87%), and the highest number of persons per family in the province. 64% of the population is married, which is also the highest in Canada. 81% of Vaughan's homes were built in the last 20 years, and 94% of the homes are owned - both the highest in Canada. To sum, Vaughan is full of suburban ethnic, Catholic, traditional families.

Demographically, we divide the riding into three parts. The southwest (Woodbridge), north and east. The southwestern part is the older part of Vaughan (if one can call it that). It is both home to less immigrants and less allophones than the newer subdivisions in the east. And then there is the north, which is completely different from the rest of the riding, in that is is rural. And so, when it comes to the political breakdown, we see the rural part of the riding as being the only area where the Conservatives consistently won. The Liberals won the rest, but did better in the newer eastern part of the riding. The older Woodbridge area had more conservative pockets, and will be they key for any Tory victory here. However, Vaughan is one of the fastest growing ridings in the country. By the last census, it already had 150,000 people and will likely be divided in to two ridings come the next redistribution. ( I predict Vaughan North and Woodbridge, but I digress). Vaughan is home to a bunch of new developments in its east, which will probably vote Liberal.

History
Members of Parliament

1. William Pierce Howland, Lib-Cons. (1867-1868)

2. Amos Wright, Liberal (1868-1872)

3. David Blain, Liberal (1872-1878)

4. Nathaniel Clarke Wallace, Cons. (1878-1902)

5. Archibald Campbell, Liberal (1902-1907)

6. Peter Douglas McLean, Liberal (1907-1908)

7. Thomas George Wallace, Cons. (1908-1921)

8. Sir Henry Lumley Drayton, Cons. (1921-1925)

9. Thomas Herbert Lennox, Cons. (1925-1934)

10. William Pate Mulock, Liberal (1934-1945)

11. Jack Smith, Liberal (1945-1953)

What is now Vaughan was divided in two at this point, by highway 7 and the northern limits of the then town of Woodbridge.

North part (York North)

11. Jack Smith, Liberal (1953-1957)

12. Tiny Cathers, Prog. Cons. (1957-1962)

13. John Addison, Liberal (1962-1968)

South part (York Centre)
12. Allan Henry Hollingworth, Liberal (1953-1957)

13. Fred C. Stinson, Prog. Cons. (1957-1962)

14. Jim Walker, Liberal (1962-1968)

The boundaries would be changed again: (see map)

[C]ommencing at the intersection of the road between lots 55 and 56 in Concession 1 and Kings Highway 11; thence westerly along the road between lots 55 and 56 to the road between Concessions 1 and 2; thence southerly along said road between Concessions 1 and 2 to County Suburban Road No. 25; thence westerly along County Suburban Road No. 25 to the limit of the Police Village of Maple; thence following said village limit southerly, westerly, and northerly to County Suburban Road No. 25; thence westerly along County Suburban Road No. 25 to the boundary between the Townships of Vaughan and Toronto Gore.

North part (York North)

14. Barney Danson, Liberal (1968-1979)

South part (York--Simcoe)

14/15. John Roberts, Liberal (1968-1972)

15/16. Sinclair Stevens, Prog. Cons. (1972-1979)

The two parts were united again

15/16/17. John Gamble, Prog. Cons. (1979-1984)

16/17/18. Tony Roman, Indpendent (1984-1988)

17/18/19. Maurizio Bevilacqua, Liberal (1988-2010)

Thus, southern Vaughan has spent 73 years under Liberal rule, 66 years under Conservatives and 4 years under an independent, while northern Vaughan has spent 80 years under Liberals, and 59 years under Tories and 4 under an independent.

Provincially this riding has been represented by Greg Sorbrara, a Liberal since 2001 and from 1987 to 1995. Between 1995 and 2001 it was represented by Al Palladini, a Progressive Conservative. More research will be done here.