Cape Breton—Canso is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population in 2011 was 75,247. It is the successor to Bras d'Or (later known as Bras d'Or—Cape Breton), which was represented in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2004.
From the 2016 census[2]
Languages (mother tongue): 90.8% English, 6.5% French, 1.2% Mi'kmaq, 0.4% German, 0.2% Dutch, 0.1%Mandarin, 0.1% Arabic, 0.1% Scottish Gaelic, 0.1% Tagalog[3]
Average age: 46.4
Average household size: 2.3
The district includes eastern Guysborough County, and the western, southern and eastern coasts of Cape Breton Island. Communities include Glace Bay, Louisbourg, Inverness, Chéticamp, St. Peters, Port Hawkesbury, Mulgrave, Guysborough, Dominion and Canso. The area is 9,438 km2[citation needed].
In 2008, the Liberals won most of their support on Cape Breton Island, whereas the mainland portion of the riding voted Conservative with a few Liberal and NDP pockets The Conservatives and the NDP both won a small handful of polls on the island, and the Greens won a poll containing Judique. [1]
The riding of Bras d'Or was created in 1996 from parts of Cape Breton Highlands—Canso and Cape Breton—East Richmond ridings.
Bras d'Or was renamed "Bras d'Or—Cape Breton" in 1998. It was abolished in 2003. Most of its territory (except for the community of Sydney River) was incorporated into a new riding called "Cape Breton—Canso", and it also added a portion of Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough on the mainland.
Under the 2012 federal electoral redistribution, this riding gained 9% of its new territory from Central Nova.
Following the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, this riding will largely be replaced by Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish. It will gain the remainder of Antigonish County from Central Nova, and exchange territory with Sydney—Victoria, gaining Victoria, the remainder of Inverness and the rural western part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and losing the urban part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality from Sydney Forks to Morien, including the Glace Bay area.[4]
