Calgary Centre

Encompassing Calgary's urban core and surrounding inner-city neighbourhoods, Calgary Centre runs from the downtown towers and Eau Claire along the Bow River south through the Beltline, Mission, and Mount Royal to the former Canadian Forces Base Currie lands. The riding is one of western Canada's most densely populated federal districts, characterized by high-rise condominiums, historic residential streets, and a concentration of commercial and cultural institutions.

Candidates

Kent Hehr (Liberal) — A Calgary native, Hehr earned a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Calgary, where he was named graduate of the decade and ranked among the top 40 graduates in 40 years. He served as the Liberal MLA for Calgary-Buffalo from 2008 to 2015, making him one of the few Liberals elected to the Alberta Legislature during that period. He announced his federal candidacy in July 2014 and was acclaimed as the Liberal nominee in November.

Joan Crockatt (Conservative) — A longtime journalist who had served as managing editor of the Calgary Herald, Crockatt was elected to Parliament in a November 2012 by-election following Lee Richardson's resignation to enter provincial politics. She served as the riding's MP through the remainder of the 41st Parliament, working on energy and natural resource files.

Jillian Ratti (NDP) — A family physician at the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre in downtown Calgary, Ratti held an MD and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary and a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. Born and raised in inner-city Calgary, she was making her first run for elected office.

Thana Boonlert (Green Party) — Boonlert represented the Green Party in a riding where environmental and urban sustainability issues attracted interest among the dense, educated electorate.

Yogi Henderson ran as an Independent candidate.

About the Riding

Calgary Centre's downtown core is the headquarters district for Canada's oil and gas industry, housing the offices of major energy companies and the financial institutions that serve them. The riding had the lowest home ownership rate among Calgary's federal ridings, reflecting its concentration of rental apartments and condominiums in the Beltline, which is the city's densest and most populous neighbourhood. Residents tended to be younger, more highly educated, and more politically diverse than those in Calgary's suburban ridings. The Stampede Grounds, home to the Calgary Stampede, lie at the riding's eastern edge. Cultural venues including Arts Commons and the Glenbow Museum anchor the downtown arts scene. The 2014–2015 oil price collapse hit the riding's economy directly — office vacancy rates in the downtown core began climbing sharply as energy companies laid off workers and consolidated operations. Federal issues in the 2015 campaign included energy policy, support for workers displaced by the downturn, transit infrastructure, and the future of the Currie Barracks redevelopment on the former military base lands.