The Political Record · Federal electoral districts
Ponoka—Didsbury
Federal riding · AB · No. 48033 · 2023 representation order
- Member
- Blaine Calkins Conservative
- 2025 result
- Conservative hold by 48,692 votes
- Turnout
- 75.1% of 92,020 electors
- Population
- 114,535 2021 census
- Area
- 9,688 km²
- Figures as of
- 2026-09-25
Distinctions · ranked against all 343 ridings
- Widest margin in CanadaWon by 71.0 points (48,692 votes) · 3rd of 343
- Won every election-day pollAll 177 election-day polls went to the winner · one of 15 of 343
- Highest turnout in Alberta75.1% of 92,020 electors voted · 3rd of 37 in Alberta · 30th of 343 in Canada
In brief
- Blaine Calkins held the seat for the Conservatives by 48,692 votes (+71.0 points).
- 39% of today's riding was drawn from other ridings in 2023.
- Election-day and advance voters agreed on the winner; 53.0% of votes were cast on the day.
- Share aged 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or higher is the 34th lowest of 343 ridings.
Illustration after: © House of Commons
Member of Parliament
Blaine Calkins
- Member: Procedure and House Affairs
IDid this riding change?
Yes. 39% of today's Ponoka—Didsbury came from ridings other than the old Red Deer—Lacombe.
Share of today's areaFormer riding
61.4%Red Deer—Lacombe 94% of it kept
38.5%Red Deer—Mountain View 49% of it kept
How this is measured. Share of the current riding's area that came from each former riding, by intersecting the 2013 and 2023 boundary files. It is area, not population. Elections Canada counts 48 of 343 ridings as entirely unchanged.
IIThe 2025 result
Conservative hold
Elected
Blaine Calkins
Conservative
56,106
81.8% of valid votes
Margin
48,692
votes · +71.0 pts
Runner-up
Logan Hooley
New Democratic
7,414
10.8% of valid votes
Conservative 81.8% · New Democratic 10.8% · Other 3.1% · Independent 2.4% · People's 1.9%
Turnout75.1% of 92,020 electors
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | 2021 | ± |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine Calkins | Conservative | 56,106 | 81.8% | 67.6% | +14.2 |
| Logan Hooley | New Democratic | 7,414 | 10.8% | 10.9% | −0.1 |
| Grant Abraham | Other | 2,129 | 3.1% | 2.3% | +0.8 |
| Zarnab Zafar | Independent | 1,641 | 2.4% | 0.8% | +1.6 |
| Larry Gratton | People's | 1,289 | 1.9% | 13.3% | −11.4 |
The 2021 column is Elections Canada's official transposition of the 2021 result onto these 2023 boundaries. ± is the change in each party's share. It is not "swing": with four or more competitive parties there is no single pair to swing between.
IIIHow close was it, really
Swing needed to flip
35.5 pts
Half the margin: the share that would have had to move from first to second.
Third place vs. the margin
2,129 votes
Other took fewer than the 48,692-vote margin.
Election-day polls won by others
0 of 177
No poll ended in a tie.
Flip the seatHypothetical
It would have taken 24,347 voters switching from Conservative to New Democratic — 35.5% of the 68,579 valid votes, 35.5 points — to change the result. No ballot was cast this way; this only moves votes between the top two.
Conservative56,106
New Democratic7,414
Still Conservative by 48,692 votes. Actual margin: 48,692.
IVElection day versus advance
Only 53.0% of this riding's votes were cast at election-day polls. The rest were advance or special ballots.
Election dayAdvance & specialGap
Conservative81.4%82.2%+0.8
New Democratic10.5%11.1%+0.6
Other3.6%2.5%−1.1
Independent2.3%2.5%+0.2
People's2.1%1.6%−0.5
An association, not a cause. Voters who cast ballots before election day differed from those who turned out on the day. It does not say why. There is no poll-level turnout figure on this page: the elector count on a polling division includes people who voted in advance and were counted elsewhere.
VWhat kind of place this is
- Median total household income is $88,000 — a little higher than the median riding's $84,000.highestlowest128th highest of 343
- Median age is 40.8 — about the same as the median riding's 41.6.highestlowest141st lowest of 343
- Share aged 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.1% — about 54 percent of the median riding's 28.2%.highestlowest34th lowest of 343
- Share who are immigrants is 8.0% — about 46 percent of the median riding's 17.3%.highestlowest95th lowest of 343
- Share of households that own their home is 77.5% — a little higher than the median riding's 71.4%.highestlowest91st highest of 343
- Share with French as a mother tongue is 1.0% — about 63 percent of the median riding's 1.6%.highestlowest101st lowest of 343
2021 Census, keyed to the 2023 representation order. Comparisons are against the median riding, not Canada as a whole. Each rule places this riding among all 343.
VIWhere it is
loading basemap…
The card
No. 48033AB · 2025
Ponoka—Didsbury
Blaine Calkins
- Result
- Conservative hold by 48,692
- Turnout
- 75.1%
- Population
- 114,535
- Area
- 9,688 km²
Widest margin in CanadaWon every election-day pollHighest turnout in Alberta
One of 343The Political Record
A card exists for every one of the 343 ridings.
Every figure on it is the figure on this page: the 2025 result and margin, turnout, the 2021 census population, the area, and the distinctions ranked against all 343 ridings. The portrait is an illustration after the official House of Commons photograph.
Open a neighbour to collect the next one.