La Verendrye is a provincial electoral division in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
. It was created by redistribution in 1879, and has existed since that time.
La Verendrye is located southeastern region of Manitoba. It is bordered to the west by Dawson Trail, Emerson, Steinbach, and
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, to the north by Lac Du Bonnet, and to the east by the province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
Hadashville Hadashville is a small, unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Reynolds, in eastern Manitoba, Canada.
Hadashville is located in the Whitemouth River watershed north of the Sandilands Provincial Forest, about east of Winnipeg on Hi ...
Pointe du Bois
Pointe du Bois is a small community located northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in an unincorporated section of Census Division No. 1. Pointe du Bois has a Manitoba Hydro generating station (at ). The area provides great fishing for pickerel, Northe ...
,
Sprague
Sprague may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Sprague, Manitoba, a small town near the Minnesota/Manitoba border
;United States
* Sprague, Alabama, Montgomery County, Alabama
* Sprague, Connecticut
* Sprague, Missouri
* Sprague, Nebraska
* Sprague ...
Vita
Vita or VITA (plural vitae) is Latin for "life", and may refer to:
* ''Vita'', the usual start to the title of a biography in Latin, by which (in a known context) the work is often referred to; frequently of a saint, then called hagiography
* Vit ...
, and
West Hawk Lake
West Hawk Lake is a impact crater lake on the Whiteshell River located in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. The circular shape of the main body of the lake is due to the submerged West Hawk crater, caused by a mete ...
. The
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeast Manitoba, approximately east of the city of Winnipeg. The park is considered to be a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. It is in size.
...
and
Sandilands Provincial Forest
The Sandilands Provincial Forest is a Forests of Canada, forest located within the Eastman Region, southeastern area of Manitoba, Canada, and consists of thousands of acres of sand hills, forest, wetlands, and mostly unpopulated crown lands. Sand ...
are also in the riding.
The riding's population in 1996 was 19,558. In 1999, the average family income was $49,308, and the unemployment rate was 5.9%. Manufacturing accounts for 12% of the riding's industry, followed by the service sector at 11%.
Before the electoral boundaries redistricting done prior to the 2011 election, La Verendrye had the second-highest francophone population in Manitoba (after
St. Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...
), at 23% of the total population. 9% of the riding's residents were
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, and 7% were aboriginal.
La Verendrye was a hotly contested riding between the Liberals and
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
in its earliest years. After 1922, it became dominated by the
Progressives
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...
, who later became the Liberal-Progressives before metamorphosising into the Liberals again. It remained with the Liberals even as the party dwindled to third-party status in the 1960s. The
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Manitoba) is a centre-right political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is currently the governing party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, after winnin ...
seized the riding in 1973 and held it for the next three decades, during which time it was usually fairly safe for the Tories.
In the 1999 election,
Ron Lemieux
Ron Lemieux, (born August 15, 1950) is a Canadian politician, who has been an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 1999, and a former professional ice hockey player.
Born in Dauphin, Manitoba, Lemieux was an ice hockey ...
became the first
New Democrat
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...
to be elected for the constituency. He was re-elected in the 2003 election with almost 60% of the popular vote. The boundary changes of 2008 greatly changed the borders of the riding, which contributed to the decisive victory of PC candidate
Dennis Smook
Dennis Smook is a Canadian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, representing the electoral district of La Verendrye as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba.