What are the most left- and right-wing ridings in Canada?

[DC Al Fine]

If you look at Vote Compass' abortion map, rural SW Ontario is more anti-abortion than rural eastern Ontario. Unfortunately they don't give specific data points, only a shaded map and most of SW Ontario is the same shade including Essex.

Do you have a link?

Here you go.

[DC Al Fine]

Can you count Mennonites as Evangelicals?

I think so. Even though they're a bit different, they're still orthodox and biblical literalists.

[King of Kensington]

Mennonites are a significant proportion of every "Bible belt" in Canada outside the Maritimes.

[Linus Van Pelt]

We're talking about some very rural populations here, so focusing on "census agglomerations", which require a population centre of at least 10,000, will miss out on some of the main locations.

But also, the issues TheDeadFlagBlues was noting don't go away even when we restrict ourselves to "social conservatism". These religious agricultural communities in southwestern Ontario often have complicated or even negative relationships with the military and monarchy, which are important to the kind of traditional Anglo-Canadian cultural conservatism that is strong in eastern Ontario. Note that the Afghanistan/military questions on Vote Compass appear to show the reverse pattern, with eastern Ontario taking the more "conservative" position. It's not clear how exactly to weight things like this.

[Citizen Hats]

We're talking about some very rural populations here, so focusing on "census agglomerations", which require a population centre of at least 10,000, will miss out on some of the main locations.

But also, the issues TheDeadFlagBlues was noting don't go away even when we restrict ourselves to "social conservatism". These religious agricultural communities in southwestern Ontario often have complicated or even negative relationships with the military and monarchy, which are important to the kind of traditional Anglo-Canadian cultural conservatism that is strong in eastern Ontario. Note that the Afghanistan/military questions on Vote Compass appear to show the reverse pattern, with eastern Ontario taking the more "conservative" position. It's not clear how exactly to weight things like this.

That would explain the traditional Liberal support in the region

[Linus Van Pelt]

Maybe to some extent, but this is complicated. There was also a Liberal Party tradition among Protestants of British origin coming from the more 19th-Century, and less Loyalist, settlement of the region. I doubt these people's descendants are particularly more socially conservative than people of similar origin elsewhere in Ontario.

[King of Kensington]

We're talking about some very rural populations here, so focusing on "census agglomerations", which require a population centre of at least 10,000, will miss out on some of the main locations.

Yes.  Unfortunately at the riding and municipality level, there is a less less specificity in terms of religion.  You can get Baptists and Pentecostals; the Other Christian is certainly majority evangelical though it also includes Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses (as well as the generally very liberal Quakers but their numbers are tiny in Canada). 

[King of Kensington]

Maybe to some extent, but this is complicated. There was also a Liberal Party tradition among Protestants of British origin coming from the more 19th-Century, and less Loyalist, settlement of the region. I doubt these people's descendants are particularly more socially conservative than people of similar origin elsewhere in Ontario.

SW Ontario was the stronghold of support for the Clear Grits which supported more "American" type populist measures like rep by pop etc.  Proportionately less Loyalist yes and more American and also more Scottish I believe.  Not sure what difference that makes today however.

The German element was also more significant, with most 1830s-1880s German settlement going to the southwest (though there was also Loyalist settlement of Dutch and German origin in the east, but this quickly "melted" - like the Dutch and Germans of say, Hudson Valley, NY and Germans also went to Renfew County in the 19th century).   The Mennonite element also likely tips the balance toward greater social conservatism. 

The German element (not just Mennonite) was also anti-conscription; the former mayor of Kitchener was elected in Waterloo North as one of the few non-Unionist MPs elected.  Bruce South also went Liberal and I believe that was quite German as well.  Does this have any lingering impact today?

In addition, I think Norfolk County has the highest percentage of Baptists anywhere in Canada outside the Maritimes. 

[King of Kensington]

On the war in Afghanistan, Renfrew appears to be one of the three most supportive of the war in Afghanistan (not surprising given the military base) in the country.  It's also quite socially conservative on abortion and gay marriage though not quite as much as the southwestern Bible Belt.

Economic conservatism:  On the question of greater income taxes on the wealthy, it looks like Oakville is the most opposed among Ontario ridings.

[Linus Van Pelt]

Bruce South also went Liberal and I believe that was quite German as well.  Does this have any lingering impact today?

There is a small German Catholic pocket in the interior of south Bruce that retains some very unusual voting patterns. On the map of this riding for the recent provincial election, check out the stretch of rural polls west of Hanover that voted Liberal but also have some of the highest Family Coalition votes in the province.

The coast of Bruce is less German and votes more conventionally, with the farms Conservative and the towns a bit swingy.

[King of Kensington]

Bruce South also went Liberal and I believe that was quite German as well.  Does this have any lingering impact today?

There is a small German Catholic pocket in the interior of south Bruce that retains some very unusual voting patterns. On the map of this riding for the recent provincial election, check out the stretch of rural polls west of Hanover that voted Liberal but also have some of the highest Family Coalition votes in the province.

The coast of Bruce is less German and votes more conventionally, with the farms Conservative and the towns a bit swingy.

Fascinating.

[King of Kensington]

New Brunswick is pretty up there for social conservatism.  One of the poorest provinces in Canada, lots of Baptists, etc.  And...

http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2014-07-18/article-3804607/Morgentaler-Clinic-in-Fredericton-to-stop-performing-abortions-today/1

[King of Kensington]

Perhaps it's no coincidence that the MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex said this.

http://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-tories-back-away-from-mpp-who-doesn-t-believe-in-evolution-1.2253116