History
- 13-14 June 2008 Alberta NDP Convention
- 25 November 2007 James Moore nominated as candidate for Lethbridge West; Tom Moffatt nominated as candidate for Lethbridge East.
The Lethbridge Federal Riding History
The Lethbridge federal riding has been around since 1987. Previously, the Lethbridge area was part of the Lethbridge-Foothills riding (1977-1987). Officially, our riding is defined as:
LETHBRIDGE consisting of that part of the Province of Alberta described as follows: commencing at the southwest corner of said province; thence generally northerly along the west boundary of said province to the northerly boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada; thence generally easterly along said boundary to the Belly River; thence generally northerly along said river to the southerly boundary of Blood Indian Reserve No. 148; thence easterly and generally northeasterly along the southerly and southeasterly boundaries of said Indian reserve to the southwesterly limit of Lethbridge County; thence generally northwesterly, generally easterly and generally southerly along the westerly, northerly and easterly limits of said county to the northerly limit of Warner County No. 5; thence generally easterly and generally southeasterly along the northerly and easterly limits of said county to the south boundary of said province; thence west along said boundary to the point of commencement. (Source: Parliament of Canada website)
- The first federal election held in the Lethbridge riding was in 1988. The NDP was represented by a local professor, Don Ferguson. He received 4489 votes, coming in third against Progressive Conservative lawyer Blain Thacker. Out of the five candidates that ran in the riding, Ferguson received 9.80% of the vote.
- At the next election (1993), the NDP candidate was Doug Petherbridge, a retired professor. A total of six candidates ran in our riding, of which Petherbridge came in third place. Petherbridge received 1313 votes, amounting to an unfortunate 2.81% of the total. The riding was won by farmer Ray Speaker of the Reform Party.
- In the following 1997, the NDP was represented by Victor Lough, a cook. Lough ran alongside five other candidates from other parties, and lost to Reform Party candidate Rick Casson, who continues to be the riding’s MP. Lough received 5.38% of the vote with 2211 votes.
- For the following election of 2000, the NDP’s candidate was student Garth Hardy. A total of six candidates ran. Hardy received 2648 votes, or 5.74%.
- The 2004 election marked the debut of NDP candidate Melanee Thomas, another student. She received 4623 votes, amounting to a successful 9.73% of the total. She ran against five other candidates, coming in third place.
- Melanee Thomas also represented the NDP in the recent 2006 election, running against another five candidates and coming in second place against Conservative candidate Rick Casson. She received a very successful 11.2% of the total vote, with 7135 votes.
- As for the Lethbridge provincial ridings, in the 2004 elections, Gaye Metz (Lethbridge East) received 606 votes, or 2.4% of the total. In Lethbridge West, Mark Sandilands received 1357 votes, amounting to 12.3% of the total.
- Before that, in the 2001 election, the NDP was still represented by Gaye Metz and Mark Sandilands in the East and West ridings, respectively. Metz received 542 votes, or 1.1% of the vote in Lethbridge East. Sandilands received 1062 votes, or 2.02%.