Clare (electoral district)

Last updated
Clare
Flag of Nova Scotia.svg Nova Scotia electoral district
Provincial electoral district
Legislature Nova Scotia House of Assembly
MLA
 
 
 
Ryan Robicheau
Progressive Conservative
District created1949, 2019
District abolished2013
Last contested 2024
Demographics
Population (2021)7,687
Electors (2024)7,206
Area (km²)830
Pop. density (per km²)9.3
Census division(s) Digby County
Census subdivision(s) Municipality of the District of Clare

Clare is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada which existed between 1949-2013 and since 2021. Prior to 1949, Clare was part of Digby district. It elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. The electoral district includes most of the Municipality of the District of Clare, an Acadian area occupying the southwestern half of Digby County. For four consecutive elections from 1988 to 1999, the district had the highest voter turnout in the province. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The electoral district was abolished following the 2012 electoral boundary review and was largely replaced by the new electoral district of Clare-Digby. It was re-created out of Clare-Digby following the 2019 Electoral Boundary Review after a court challenge that also re-instated the province's two other protected Acadians ridings of Argyle and Richmond, and the Black riding of Preston. [5]

Geography

The land area of Clare is 830 km2 (320 sq mi). [6]

Members of the Legislative Assembly

The electoral district was represented by the following members of the Legislative Assembly:

Clare
LegislatureYearsMemberParty
Riding created from Digby
44th 1949–1953   Desire Comeau Progressive Conservative
45th 1953–1956   Pierre Belliveau Liberal
46th 1956–1960
47th 1960–1963
48th 1963–1967   Hector J. Pothier Progressive Conservative
49th 1967–1970   Benoit Comeau Liberal
50th 1970–1974
51st 1974–1978
52nd 1978–1981
53rd 1981–1984 Chester Melanson
54th 1984–1988   Guy LeBlanc Progressive Conservative
55th 1988–1993
56th 1993–1998   Wayne Gaudet Liberal
57th 1998–1999
58th 1999–2003
59th 2003–2006
60th 2006–2009
61st 2009–2013
Riding dissolved into Clare-Digby
Riding recreated from Clare-Digby
64th 2021–2024   Ronnie LeBlanc Liberal
65th 2024–present   Ryan Robicheau Progressive Conservative

Election results

2024

2024 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive Conservative Ryan Robicheau 2,80559.71+16.29
Liberal Ronnie LeBlanc 1,79038.10-11.79
New Democratic Dre Taylor1032.19-1.10
Total valid votes4,69899.22
Total rejected ballots511.07+0.22
Turnout4,74965.90-1.19
Eligible voters7,206
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +14.00

2021

2021 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Liberal Ronnie LeBlanc 2,32249.89-1.34$37,791.91
Progressive Conservative Carl Deveau2,02143.43+13.12$13,595.33
Green Claire McDonald1583.39$200.00
New Democratic Cameron Pye1533.29-15.17$10,832.43
Total valid votes/expense limit4,65499.15$44,268.32
Total rejected ballots400.85
Turnout4,69467.19
Eligible voters6,986
Liberal notional hold Swing -7.23
Source: Elections Nova Scotia [7]

2017 (transposed)

2017 provincial election redistributed results [8]
PartyVote %
  Liberal 2,05951.23
  Progressive Conservative 1,21830.31
  New Democratic 74218.46

2009

2009 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 3,39264.68%16.16%
New Democratic Paul Comeau1,32625.29%3.32%
Progressive Conservative Jimmy Doucet4598.75%-19.33%
Green Diane Doucet-Bean671.28%-0.14%
Total5,244
Total rejected ballots53
Turnout5,29776.71
Eligible voters6,905
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2006

2006 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 2,80348.53%-13.02%
Progressive Conservative Abraham LeBlanc1,62228.08%2.82%
New Democratic Paul Comeau1,26921.97%8.78%
Green Diane Doucet-Bean821.42%
Total5,776
Total rejected ballots50
Turnout5,82682.45
Eligible voters7,066
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

2003

2003 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 3,54761.55%17.78%
Progressive Conservative Marc Boudreau1,45625.26%-12.84%
New Democratic Don Melanson76013.19%-4.25%
Total5,763
Total rejected ballots70
Turnout5,83389.68
Eligible voters6,504
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1999

1999 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 2,70543.76%-3.52%
Progressive Conservative Paul Comeau2,35538.10%-3.22%
New Democratic Don Melanson1,07817.44%6.04%
Nova Scotia Party Anne Marie Boyer430.70%
Total6,181
Total rejected ballots66
Turnout6,24787.43
Eligible voters7,145
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1998

1998 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 2,95047.28%-4.71%
Progressive Conservative Guy LeBlanc 2,57841.32%-1.55%
New Democratic Vanessa Paddock71111.40%6.26%
Total6,239
Total rejected ballots109
Turnout6,34888.00
Eligible voters7,214
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1993

1993 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Wayne Gaudet 3,46151.99%10.23%
Progressive Conservative Guy LeBlanc 2,85442.87%-11.15%
New Democratic Christian Collin3425.14%0.92%
Total6,657
Total rejected ballots83
Turnout6,74091.44
Eligible voters7,371
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1988

1988 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive Conservative Guy LeBlanc 3,58754.02%3.69%
Liberal Nadine Boudreau2,77341.76%-3.53%
New Democratic Jan Slakov-Crombie2804.22%-0.16%
Total6,640
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1984

1984 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive Conservative Guy LeBlanc 3,09450.33%12.33%
Liberal Chester Melanson 2,78445.29%6.33%
New Democratic Alain Chabot2694.38%-18.66%
Total6,147
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1981

1981 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Chester Melanson 2,22838.96%-17.51%
Progressive Conservative Guy LeBlanc 2,17338.00%1.87%
New Democratic Paul Dennis Comeau1,31723.03%15.64%
Total5,718
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1978

1978 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Benoit Comeau 2,96356.47%-4.60%
Progressive Conservative Gerald J. B. Comeau 1,89636.13%11.00%
New Democratic Sylvio Gagnon3887.39%-6.39%
Total5,247
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1974

1974 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Benoit Comeau 2,95961.07%1.40%
Progressive Conservative Vincent L. Doucet1,21825.14%-15.19%
New Democratic Jean L. Belliveau66813.79%
Total4,845
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1970

1970 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Benoit Comeau 2,71259.67%3.24%
Progressive Conservative Paul J. Comeau1,83340.33%-3.24%
Total4,545
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1967

1967 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Benoit Comeau 2,38456.43%9.04%
Progressive Conservative Hector J. Pothier 1,84143.57%-9.04%
Total4,225
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1963

1963 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Progressive Conservative Hector J. Pothier 2,15452.61%4.74%
Liberal Joseph C. LeBlanc1,94047.39%-4.74%
Total4,094
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1960

1960 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Pierre E. Belliveau 2,21552.13%-0.47%
Progressive Conservative Kenneth Weaver2,03447.87%0.47%
Total4,249
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1956

1956 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Pierre E. Belliveau 2,04652.60%-5.87%
Progressive Conservative J. Fred Gaudet1,84447.40%5.87%
Total3,890
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1953

1953 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Pierre E. Belliveau 2,30758.46%8.92%
Progressive Conservative Desire J. Comeau 1,63941.54%
Total3,946
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

1949

1949 Nova Scotia general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–Conservative Desire J. Comeau 2,11650.45%
Liberal Benoit Comeau 2,07849.55%
Total4,194
Source(s)
Source: Nova Scotia Legislature (2021). "Electoral History for Clare" (PDF). nslegislature.ca.

References