by Maurice Y. Michaud (he/him)
If you’re only beginning your in-depth study of the Canadian electoral system, or if your interest in the subject is more fleeting, or if your political memory is a bit short because of your age (which isn’t your fault!), trying to unpack how electoral ridings have changed over time could quickly give you a headache.
Take Québec, for example. How are you supposed to know that the riding of Maurice-Richard was originally Ahuntsic in 1966, becoming Crémazie in 1973, BEFORE becoming Maurice-Richard in 2018? Or that the riding we now know as Beauce-Nord corresponds more or less to Dorchester from 1841 (in the Province of Canada) until 1973 (in the Province of Québec)? Or that Abitibi-Est, which seems to have always existed, is in fact only a division in 1944 of Abitibi which had been created in 1923, and what remained was renamed Abitibi-Ouest? Or that Bertrand from 1981 to 1994 had been created from Chambly and Verchères, but Bertrand from 1994 to this day had been created from Labelle, Prévost and Rousseau — same name, different regions?
This search engine allows you to retrieve a listing of all the ridings that ever existed within a jurisdiction.
You can then use your browser’s search feature (Ctrl-F or ⌘-F) to find a name you have in mind.
