A short history of federal elections in Brant and Brantford
Brantford and the County of Brant have voted together — and separately — for more than a century. The riding names have changed, the boundaries have moved, and the seat has swung between parties, but the same communities have been sending an MP to Ottawa since Confederation-era ridings were first drawn. With a by-election coming on Monday, December 7, 2026, here is how we got here.
The early years: two ridings, then one county riding
In the early federal elections, the city and the county were covered by separate ridings — Brantford for the city, and Brant South (later Brant) for the county. The federal riding called Brant was created in 1903, from parts of Brant South, and first contested in 1904. It covered the County of Brant, excluding the parts in the Brantford riding — and in 1933 it was expanded to include the town of Paris.
That first Brant riding was abolished in 1947 and split between Brant—Wentworth and Brantford. It was recreated in 1966, from parts of Brant—Haldimand, Brantford and Haldimand—Norfolk—Brant, covering the County of Brant and the Six Nations and New Credit reserves.
Who has held the seat — and did Brant vote with the country?
Here is every general election in the Brant / Brantford—Brant / Brantford—Brant South line, with the local winner and the party that formed the government nationally. “Match” means the local MP was from the governing party.
| Election | Local MP elected | Local party | Government in Canada | Match? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | William Paterson | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1908 | William Paterson | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1911 | John Henry Fisher | Conservative | Conservative | Yes |
| 1917 | John Harold | Government (Liberal–Unionist) | Unionist | Yes |
| 1921 | William Charles Good | Progressive | Liberal | No |
| 1925 | Franklin Smoke | Conservative | Liberal* | No |
| 1926 | Franklin Smoke | Conservative | Liberal | No |
| 1930 | Franklin Smoke | Conservative | Conservative | Yes |
| 1935 | George Wood | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1940 | George Wood | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1945 | John A. Charlton | Progressive Conservative | Liberal | No |
| Riding abolished 1949–1968 | ||||
| 1968 | James Elisha Brown | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1971† | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Liberal | No† |
| 1972 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Liberal | No |
| 1974 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Liberal | No |
| 1979 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Progressive Conservative | No |
| 1980 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Liberal | No |
| 1984 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Progressive Conservative | No |
| 1988 | Derek Blackburn | New Democratic | Progressive Conservative | No |
| 1993 | Jane Stewart | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 1997 | Jane Stewart | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 2000 | Jane Stewart | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 2004 | Lloyd St. Amand | Liberal | Liberal | Yes |
| 2006 | Lloyd St. Amand | Liberal | Conservative | No |
| 2008 | Phil McColeman | Conservative | Conservative | Yes |
| 2011 | Phil McColeman | Conservative | Conservative | Yes |
| 2015 | Phil McColeman | Conservative | Liberal | No |
| 2019 | Phil McColeman | Conservative | Liberal | No |
| 2021 | Larry Brock | Conservative | Liberal | No |
| 2025 | Larry Brock | Conservative | Liberal | No |
* In 1925 the Conservatives won the most seats, but the Liberals formed the government with Progressive support. † 1971 was a by-election, not a general election — Blackburn won the seat mid-parliament, while the Liberals were in government.
The pattern: Brant has voted with the winning side in 14 of 29 general elections — almost exactly half. The long stretches tell the story: the riding matched the country through the Laurier and Borden years, then went its own way in the 1920s; it matched again in the 1930s and 1940s, then spent the entire Blackburn era (1971–1993) sending an NDP MP to Ottawa while Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments came and went; it matched again under Jane Stewart and Lloyd St. Amand (1993–2004), then split again — voting Conservative locally while Liberals formed the government nationally in 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2025. In other words, this has rarely been a bellwether riding. It has usually voted for the person, not the government of the day.
Two long runs stand out. Derek Blackburn held the seat for the NDP from a 1971 by-election until 1993 — 22 years. Phil McColeman held it for the Conservatives from 2008 to 2021 — 13 years. Jane Stewart, a Liberal cabinet minister under Jean Chrétien, held it from 1993 to 2004.
The close one, and the recent pattern
The 2006 election was the closest in recent memory: Liberal Lloyd St. Amand beat Conservative Phil McColeman by just 582 votes — 36.9% to 36.0%. McColeman won the rematch in 2008, and the Conservatives have held the seat ever since.
Recent results, winner’s share:
- 2011: McColeman (Conservative) 48.9%; NDP 28.5%; Liberal 18.8%
- 2015: McColeman (Conservative) 40.9%; Liberal 30.7%; NDP 24.8%
- 2019: McColeman (Conservative) 40.3%; Liberal 30.7%; NDP 19.7%
- 2021: Brock (Conservative) 40.3%; Liberal 28.4%; NDP 19.6%
- 2025: Brock (Conservative) 52.4%; Liberal 41.1%; NDP 3.7% — turnout 64.6%
The 2025 result was a sharp break from the pattern: both the Conservatives and the Liberals jumped by more than 12 points, while the NDP fell from 19.6% to 3.7%. That election was also the first under the new boundaries (see below).
The riding kept changing its name — and its shape
Before the 2015 election the riding was known simply as Brant. It became Brantford—Brant in 2015. Under the 2022 redistribution, it was largely replaced by a new riding, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, which also gained the remainder of the County of Brant from the Oxford riding. The rest of the county — the northerly part, including Paris and St. George — moved to the new riding of Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North.
On September 16, 2026, the name was shortened to Brantford—Brant South under Bill C-25. The riding still covers the City of Brantford, the southerly part of the County of Brant, and Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Why there is a by-election on December 7, 2026
Conservative MP Larry Brock resigned on September 18, 2026, to return to the Crown attorney’s office in Brantford. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the by-election on November 1, 2026, for Monday, December 7, 2026 — one of six by-elections that day. The candidates are Kevin Davis (Conservative), Joy O’Donnell (Liberal), Dave Carrol (Independent) and Brad Ward (NDP). Nominations close Monday, November 16, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
BrantVotes will be profiling all four candidates together. See also our by-election explainer and our riding guide.
Sources: Elections Canada official results and its History of Election Outcomes (party in power by Parliament); Parliament of Canada / Wikipedia riding histories for Brantford—Brant and Brantford—Brant South. Figures are the official results for the riding as it existed at each election — boundaries changed over time, so vote shares across decades are not directly comparable.
