Olds-Didsbury
# Olds-Didsbury

Olds-Didsbury was a provincial electoral district in central Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first-past-the-post method of voting from 1963 to 1997.

It is noteworthy as the location of a famous by-election in 1982, when the separatist Western Canada Concept achieved the first and only electoral victory in the movement's history.

## History

Members of the Legislative Assembly for Olds-Didsbury :

| Assembly | Years | Member | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| See Olds and Didsbury 1909–1963 |||||
| 15th | 1963–1967 | Robert Clark | Social Credit |
| 16th | 1967–1971 | Robert Clark | Social Credit |
| 17th | 1971–1975 | Robert Clark | Social Credit |
| 18th | 1975–1979 | Robert Clark | Social Credit |
| 19th | 1979–1981 | Robert Clark | Social Credit |
| 19th | 1981–1982 | Vacant | Vacant |
| 19th | 1982 | Gordon Kesler | Western Canada Concept |
| 20th | 1982–1986 | Stephen Stiles | Progressive Conservative |
| 21st | 1986–1989 | Roy Brassard | Progressive Conservative |
| 22nd | 1989–1993 | Roy Brassard | Progressive Conservative |
| 23rd | 1993–1997 | Roy Brassard | Progressive Conservative |
| See Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills 1997– |||||

The riding was created in 1963 when the Olds and Didsbury districts were merged. Incumbent MLA for Didsbury Robert Clark ran in the new riding for Social Credit, and was easily re-elected. He was appointed to cabinet by premier Ernest Manning in 1966 and re-appointed by Harry Strom.

In the 1971 election, when Peter Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives swept Social Credit out of power, Clark retained Olds-Didsbury by a wide margin. He then served as opposition leader while Social Credit leader Werner Schmidt had no seat in the legislature, and when Schmidt resigned after failing to improve the party's fortunes, Clark won the leadership of the party, continuing as opposition leader. As party leader he won the largest majority in the history of Olds-Didsbury in the 1979 election, but the party failed to make inroads elsewhere. He subsequently resigned as party leader and MLA.

The resulting by-election in Olds-Didsbury shocked the political establishment in Canada, as Gordon Kesler of the separatist Western Canada Concept cruised to a surprise victory, due to anger over the National Energy Program and the patriation of the Constitution of Canada under Pierre Trudeau.

The premier called a snap election for later that year to ensure a quick showdown with Western Canada Concept. Kesler chose to run in Highwood, where he lived, and was defeated by a huge margin. This rendered him the shortest-serving MLA in Alberta history, counting from election to defeat. The Progressive Conservatives also finally captured Olds-Didsbury, where Stephen Stiles nearly doubled previous Progressive Conservative results amid a surge in turnout.

Stiles served only one term as MLA. Progressive Conservative candidate Roy Brassard easily defended Olds-Didsbury for his party, serving three terms. Brassard was appointed to cabinet as Minister for Seniors under Lougheed in 1991, and retired upon the dissolution of the Legislature in 1997. At the same time, Olds-Didsbury was merged with the north part of Three Hills-Airdrie to form Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.

## Election Results

### Elections in the 1960s

1963 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - |
| | Social Credit | Robert Clark | 3,950 | 66.95 |
| | Independent Movement | Roger Lebeuf | 1,550 | 26.27 |
| | New Democratic | Eva Banta | 400 | 6.78 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 5,900 | 100.00 |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 14 | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 9,177 | 64.44 |
| | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. | Social Credit pickup new district. |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1967 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Social Credit | Robert Clark | 4,052 | 65.22 | -1.73 |
| | Liberal | Stan Bell | 1,129 | 18.17 | — |
| | Independent Conservative | Chas. Purvis | 547 | 8.80 | — |
| | New Democratic | Eva Banta | 485 | 7.81 | +1.03 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 6,213 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 19 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 8,988 | 69.34 | +4.89 |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -9.95 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

### Elections in the 1970s

1971 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Social Credit | Robert Clark | 4,346 | 59.62 | -5.60 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Rudolf Pedersen | 2,578 | 35.36 | +26.56 |
| | New Democratic | William C. McCutcheon | 366 | 5.02 | -2.79 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,290 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 32 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 9,275 | 78.94 | +9.61 |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -16.08 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1975 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Social Credit | Robert Clark | 4,400 | 58.91 | -0.71 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Kenneth Amthor | 2,860 | 38.29 | +2.93 |
| | New Democratic | Margaret Hinton | 209 | 2.80 | -2.22 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,469 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 7 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 9,737 | 76.78 | -2.16 |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | -1.82 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1979 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Social Credit | Robert Clark | 6,399 | 70.16 | +11.25 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bill Edgar | 2,514 | 27.57 | -10.73 |
| | New Democratic | Gregory Hoffarth | 152 | 1.67 | -1.13 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Shaw | 55 | 0.60 | — |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,120 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 22 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 12,458 | 73.38 | -3.40 |
| | Social Credit hold | Social Credit hold | Swing | Swing | +10.99 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

### Elections in the 1980s

Alberta provincial by-election, February 17, 1982 Upon the resignation of Robert Curtis Clark on November 30, 1981 :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Western Canada Concept | Gordon Kesler | 4,015 | 42.20 | — |
| | Social Credit | Lloyd Quantz | 2,669 | 28.05 | -42.11 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Stephen Stiles | 2,396 | 25.18 | -2.38 |
| | New Democratic | Myrna Jarboe | 308 | 3.24 | +1.57 |
| | Liberal | George Leussink | 126 | 1.32 | +0.72 |
| | Independent | Adilsha Shivji | 9 | 0.09 | — |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,514 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 19 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 13,798 | 69.09 | -4.29 |
| | Western Canada Concept gain from Social Credit | Western Canada Concept gain from Social Credit | Swing | Swing | +42.16 |
| Source(s) Elections Alberta. "By-elections". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1982 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Stephen Stiles | 5,096 | 46.99 | +21.81 |
| | Independent | Lloyd Quantz | 2,755 | 25.40 | — |
| | Western Canada Concept | Daryl M. Jaddock | 2,714 | 25.03 | -17.18 |
| | New Democratic | Roy Agnew | 233 | 2.15 | -1.09 |
| | Independent | John Buttrey | 47 | 0.43 | — |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 10,845 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 18 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 14,296 | 75.99 | +6.90 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Western Canada Concept | Progressive Conservative gain from Western Canada Concept | Swing | Swing | +19.49 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1986 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Roy Brassard | 5,204 | 66.62 | +19.63 |
| | Confederation of Regions | Elmer Knutson | 1,785 | 22.85 | — |
| | New Democratic | Tom Monto | 823 | 10.54 | 8.39 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,812 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 30 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 14,322 | 54.75 | -21.23 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -1.61 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

1989 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Roy Brassard | 4,960 | 60.25 | -6.37 |
| | Social Credit | Ray Young | 1,249 | 15.17 | — |
| | Liberal | Garfield Marks | 1,182 | 14.36 | — |
| | New Democratic | Tom Monto | 842 | 10.23 | -0.31 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,233 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 32 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 14,612 | 56.56 | +1.81 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -10.77 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||

### Elections in the 1990s

1993 Alberta general election :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Roy Brassard | 8,383 | 61.58 | +1.33 |
| | Liberal | Donna Gole | 3,378 | 24.81 | +10.46 |
| | Social Credit | Derry H. Macfarlane | 815 | 5.99 | -9.18 |
| | Confederation of Regions | Dennis Combs | 683 | 5.02 | — |
| | New Democratic | Ruth Scott | 355 | 2.61 | -7.62 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 13,614 | 100.00 | — |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 22 | — | — |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 20,413 | 66.80 | +10.24 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -4.56 |
| Source(s) Heritage Community Foundation. "Election results for Olds-Didsbury". Retrieved April 30, 2018. |||||||
