Gravelle introduces bill to protect northern boundaries

Northern Ontario should not be short-changed when the Harper government changes the riding boundaries in Ontario to suit their electoral needs, according to Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle.

Gravelle kept the promise made Feb. 13 by the six NDP MPs during their barnstorming tour of the north, introducing a bill to protect Northern Ontario’s 10 federal ridings, according to a press release.

New Democrats are challenging the four Conservative MPs in the north to support the bill that highlights unique geographical, linguistic and historical considerations for why northern Ontario should not lose another seat as happened during the last electoral boundary changes in 2003.

During the Feb. 13 press conference, Gravelle said, “We're afraid that with the reintroduction of the redistribution bill, we will see even further reductions in northern Ontario. I have stood up in the House, along with my colleagues from northern Ontario, to debate this bill, and blatantly asked the Conservatives if they had any intentions of reducing the seats here, and they absolutely refused to answer, which leads me to believe they will be reducing the number of seats.”

Northern Ontario is larger in size than all but two provinces and some ridings are larger than European countries. People already can find themselves long distances from their MP offices. The goal is to “keep the ridings in the north, not by population, but by geographic area.”

Gravelle also noted the Franco-Ontarian population deserves fair representation without being swallowed up in even larger ridings that do not reflect their language or culture.
 
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes seconded the bill, entitled “An Act to Amend the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act”.
 
Here are Gravelle’s remarks in the House of Commons today:
 
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Algoma Manitoulin Kapuskasing for seconding this bill. It will protect all 10 of the current northern Ontario ridings during the changes in electoral boundaries in Ontario.

“It recognizes that population is only one of many factors to consider in the size of a riding. There is also geography, linguistic and historical considerations.

“Northern Ontario is larger in size than every province but two in Canada. Many ridings in northern Ontario are already bigger than some European countries. We don’t need to make it any harder for constituents to get to their MP offices, or to weaken their voice, and the voice of the North.

“We cannot forget the language principles when we speak of fair representation in the House of Commons. The people of northern Ontario include an important francophone population that cannot be ignored when we determine the boundaries of an electoral riding.

The last thing northern Ontario needs is fewer MPs in Ottawa. I call on northern MPs from both sides of this House to support this bill.”

Posted by Arron Pickard