The district was in the southwest part of the City of Calgary, south of Glenmore Trail and west of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway line.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper represented the riding during his leadership.

This riding has elected the following members of the House of Commons of Canada: All three of the riding's MPs were prominent: Bobbie Sparrow served in the cabinet led by Kim Campbell, while Preston Manning was the leader of the Reform Party of Canada from 1987 and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2000.

Its final MP in the Southwest configuration was Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an economist and a lecturer outside politics.

From 2003, Harper was the leader of the re-formed Conservative Party of Canada, and from 2006, prime minister; he ceased to be both after the 2015 Canadian federal election.