BOW VALLEY – Banff and Canmore will join Jasper and west Yellowhead County to shape the new federal riding boundaries for the Yellowhead electoral district.
The final report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the province renames the Jasper-Banff-Canmore district in a move to uphold the history of 19th century yellow-haired Iroquois Metis guide Pierre Bostonais, who crossed the Rocky Mountains by the pass in Jasper National Park that would later bear his nickname, and to serve as a more inclusive name of the riding.
“That traditional history plays a big part [in the name], but the other bigger part was that having it named ‘Yellowhead’ it becomes more of a generic term,” said Gerald Soroka, Conservative MP for Yellowhead, who made the objection with the commission. “If it was changed to Jasper-Banff-Canmore, then everyone thinks it’s just a mountain riding, and there’s people in Edson, Hinton, Rocky Mountain House asking why they’re not included.”
The final report, tabled in the House of Commons July 20, places the towns of Banff, Canmore and Jasper together with Edson, Hinton, Grande Cache, Rocky Mountain House, Sundre, Caroline, Cremona, Carstairs, Crossfield, the summer villages of Burnstick Lake, Ghost Lake and Waiporous, and the municipal districts of Bighorn No. 8 and Clearwater County.
Also included in the sprawling district are Improvement District (ID) No. 12 Jasper National Park, ID No. 25 Willmore Wilderness, ID No. 9 Banff National Park and Kananaskis Improvement District (KID), together with the reserves of Big Horn No. 144A, O’Chiese No. 203, Stoney No. 142, 143, 144, Stoney No. 142B and Sunchild No. 202.
The change separates Banff and Canmore from the existing Banff-Airdrie riding, which, in the final electoral report, becomes Airdrie-Cochrane.
Prior to the Banff-Airdrie riding, both communities were in the Wild Rose riding from 1988 to 2015. Before that, it was the Bow River riding from 1979 to 1988, and from 1968 to 1979 it was Rocky Mountains. From 1908 to 1968, both communities were within the Macleod riding.
The Banff-Airdrie riding has been a Conservative stronghold in the province, with MP Blake Richards easily winning five elections and never receiving fewer than 57 per cent of the vote. The riding has also seen the population dominated-Airdrie carry the vote, with communities such as Banff and Canmore having less influence.
In the 2021 federal election, Richards received 41,105 votes with 3,399 coming from Banff and Canmore polling stations. However, he was still the top candidate in the two ridings, with the next two closest being Liberal Party candidate David Gamble at 2,634 and NDP candidate Sarah Zagoda with 2,633.
Of the 28 polling stations in Canmore, Richards won 15 of them and tied another with the NDP, which claimed eight of the voting stations, and the Liberals had four. Richards received 2,557 votes in Canmore, while Gamble had 1,928 and Zagoda 1,748.
In Banff, there were 14 stations, with Zagoda winning nine compared to three going to Richards and two to Gamble. The vote totals, however, were slightly closer, with Zagoda receiving 945 in Banff, Richards 842 and Gamble 766.
Owing to its recreational nature and to better align it with Bow Valley communities, KID was moved from the Foothills electoral district, which is predominantly agriculturally based, into the Yellowhead electoral district.
Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams said though riding shifts can never be perfect, this one may serve the mountain communities well on mutual interests in recreation, tourism and the environment.
“I think putting the mountain towns together – particularly the two that are in national parks and the one that is adjacent (Canmore) – there’s a chance for those combined voices to have more impact with respect to representation and accountability,” said Williams.
In its initial proposal, tabled in the House of Commons in June 2022, the electoral boundaries commission put Banff with Yellowhead and Canmore together in a riding with Cochrane and Olds.
The initial report, filed in January 2023, put the two mountain towns back together in the Yellowhead riding following widespread criticism.
In the case of Canmore-Cochrane-Olds, the commission “received numerous submissions and heard many oral presentations at its hearings that were strongly in favour of keeping Canmore and Banff together in the same electoral district,” reads the commission's final report.
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert, who is quoted in the final report in opposition to the initial change, said he’s glad feedback was heard and the communities were left together.
“I was concerned that Banff and Canmore would be split when we have so much that ties us together,” he said. “It was a really good change to make sure Banff and Canmore were in the same constituency, and the fact that it is with Jasper is a bonus.”
Krausert and Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said they respect the name change for the riding.
“It’s sad not to see [Banff in the name] but I also understand it’s a large district and there’s always going to be some communities that are left out of that, and I can certainly appreciate the historical significance of the name Yellowhead,” said DiManno. “Most importantly, I’m pleased we’re in the same riding as Canmore which is what we were really urging for.
“I’m really pleased the commission acknowledged our regional connection to Canmore and I’m really excited that we are now united with Jasper as well – that the three mountain communities are together, and I’m optimistic that we’ll be represented well in Ottawa.”
As part of a process that repeats each decade, the commission was tasked with splitting Alberta into 37 districts – up from 34 – of roughly equal population, while trying to group together communities with common interests.
About every 10 years, a non-partisan panel in Alberta draws new federal electoral lines to account for the growing population.
Two years ago, Canada’s chief electoral officer noted Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia needed more representation due to population growth, recommending Alberta gain three representatives, while Ontario and B.C. each add one.
Williams said the jump in seats is likely better news for Conservatives in Alberta than it is for the Liberal Party or NDP.
“What it does is adds suburban ridings and those tend to be more winnable for Conservatives,” she said. “Having said that, it goes to show this is not a partisan process – it is done independently and it clearly has listened to the feedback and responded meaningfully, and that’s quite encouraging from a democratic perspective.”
With the timing of the final report, it’s possible another federal election could occur in the existing Banff-Airdrie riding before the new boundaries take effect as early as April 2024.
The timing of the next election will impact whether Alberta has 34 or 37 seats in the upcoming Parliament and which MP, or MPs will elect to represent Banff, Canmore, Kananaskis, the MD of Bighorn and Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation. The new Yellowhead riding would represent a population of about 115,086 people.
“If the minority government goes the average run of minority governments – two-and-a-half years – that would put it inside the 10-month range and it’s very possible that we’ll have the same riding if it’s an early election, even though the report has changed,” said Krausert. “So, that’s an interesting nuance.”
The Outlook reached out to Banff-Airdrie Conservative MP Blake Richards for comment but did not receive a response before publication deadline.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
