Summary: This is a riding to watch, as the top two candidates from 2011 face off again. Liberal MP John McKay held on to his seat in the last election, but the Conservative challenger, Chuck Konkel, was close behind. McKay is looking to win a fifth term. Konkel is looking to end an 11-year Liberal hold on this riding.
Boundaries: The eastern boundary of this riding has shifted to the west, and now excludes the area around East Point Park and Lower Highland Creek Park. Neighbourhoods here include Morningside, Woburn, and Guildwood.
Last Election: Liberal McKay defeated Conservative Konkel by 691 votes. Had these new boundaries been in effect then, the Liberal margin of victory would have been even smaller, at just 381 votes.
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History: Liberal John McKay has held this seat since the riding was created in 2004. This is the third time McKay and Konkel have run against each other. McKay’s share of the vote has been steadily shrinking, from 2004 when he earned 57 per cent, to just 36 per cent in 2011. Konkel has been gaining steam, with 30 per cent of the vote his first time out, and 34 per cent in 2011.
Demographics: 31.2 per cent of people in Scarborough-Guildwood identify as South Asian as of the 2011 National Household Survey, the highest percentage of Scarborough’s six ridings.
Candidates
Conservative: Chuck Konkel, police officer
NDP: Laura Casselman, communications specialist
Liberal: John McKay, MP since 2004
Green: Kathleen Holding
Independent: Kevin Clarke
Marijuana Party: Paul Coulbeck
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