Calgary Heritage was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order. It came into effect upon the calling of the 2015 Canadian federal election, which was held that 19 October. It is essentially a reconfigured version of Calgary Southwest, the riding formerly represented by Stephen Harper, who served as the Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Territory from the former Calgary Southwest comprises 99% of the new riding, with territory from Calgary Southeast making up 1%.

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While Calgary as a whole has long been considered heartland for the Conservative Party of Canada and its antecedents, Calgary Heritage is located in a particularly conservative area of Calgary. Its predecessor, Calgary Southwest, frequently gave Conservative candidates some of the highest margins in the nation.