British Columbia electoral district | |||
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Victoria in relation to other Vancouver Island federal electoral districts (2003 boundaries).
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Federal electoral district | |||
Legislature | House of Commons | ||
MP |
New Democratic |
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District created | 1924 | ||
First contested | 1925 | ||
Last contested | 2015 | ||
District webpage | profile, map | ||
Demographics | |||
Population (2011) | 110,942 | ||
Electors (2015) | 90,217 | ||
Area (km²) | 40.28 | ||
Pop. density (per km²) | 2,754.3 | ||
Census divisions | Capital Regional District | ||
Census subdivisions | Saanich, Victoria, Oak Bay, Capital H |
Victoria is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1904 and since 1925.
The riding was originally chartered as Victoria District for the special byelections held in 1871 upon the province's entry into Confederation but like the other B.C. ridings with that appellation the "District" was dropped once the temporary ridings were ratified and made "permanent" for the general election of 1872, which was the first in which the Victoria riding (by that name) appeared. From 1905 up until the 1925 election Victoria was represented by the riding of Victoria City.
Ethnic groups (2006): 85.54% White, 4.05% Chinese, 3.07% Aboriginal, 1.26% South Asian, 1.22% Japanese, 1.15% Filipino, 1.09% Black
Languages (2011): 83.93% English, 2.92% Chinese, 1.79% French, 1.40% German
Religions (2001): 35.36% Protestant, 15.05% Catholic, 3.94% Other Christian, 1.62% Buddhist, 40.52% No religion
Median income (2005): $24,022
It covers the City of Victoria, the municipality of Oak Bay and the southeastern portion of the municipality of Saanich. It also includes the University of Victoria.
Riding associations are the local branches of the national political parties:
This electoral district was created in 1872 when Victoria District riding was abolished. It elected two members to the Canadian House of Commons.
In 1878, Sir John A. Macdonald was parachuted into the riding, as he was unelectable in eastern Canada, in the wake of the Pacific Scandal. Victorians voted for him enthusiastically, as he promised to finally bring about the construction of what became the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the fall, he was also acclaimed as member for the Marquette riding in Manitoba.