Summary: Voters in Perth-Wellington will elect a new MP in 2015, as Conservative Gary Schellenberger is stepping down after 12 years.
Boundaries: A rural riding to London’s west, Perth-Wellington includes all of Perth County, the Town of Minto, and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North. The largest population centre is Stratford.
Last Election: Schellenberger defeated NDP candidate Ellen Papenburg by 33.2 per cent, his highest margin of victory ever.
History: Perth-Wellington was created prior to to the 2004 election, which Schellenberger won. Prior to that, it had been a part of many rural ridings in Western Ontario which went to the Liberal Party from 1993-2004 when the Canadian Alliance and Reform Party split the vote, but otherwise had historically elected Progressive Conservatives.
Demographics: 77.6 per cent of people in the 2011 National Household Survey identified as Christians, the eighth highest percentage in Ontario. Like many ridings in southern Ontario, the second most common mother tongue isn’t French, but German: 7.2 per cent of people listed it as their first language.
Candidates
Conservatives: John Nater, a councillor in the township of West Perth and assistant to Schellenberger
NDP: Ethan Rabidoux, a former radio reporter with CJCS
Liberals: Stephen McCotter, St. Marys councillor from 2010-2014 and lawyer
Greens: Nicole Ramsdale, teacher
Christian Heritage Party: Irma Devries, farmer and small business owner
No affiliation: Roger Fuhr
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