NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – Across party lines, federal representatives in the north don’t always see eye to eye. But in an open letter addressing major concerns with the proposal to reduce the federal number of seats in the House of Commons from ten seats to nine, both the Conservative Party and Liberals Party are speaking in solidarity.
“Effective representation should ensure that Members of Parliament are accessible, and that Canadians have equal access to federal government services, regardless of where they live. This has traditionally been a challenge for Northern Ontario residents, particularly in rural and remote communities where there is a lack of: public transportation; reliable cellular and internet services; and access to government agencies. For these Canadians, Members of Parliament are a gateway to the federal government. To reduce the number of representatives for these individuals is to diminish their access to federal government services and to lessen their voices in parliament,” the letter states.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski and Kenora MP Eric Melilo have expressed their concerns over the federal government’s proposal to re-draw the federal electoral boundary lines since it was announced earlier last month. In the letter, their voices are joined by MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay), MP Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North), MP Carol Hughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing), MP Terry Sheehan (Sault Ste. Marie), MP Marc Serre (Nickel Belt), MP Viviane Lapointe (Sudbury), MP Anthony Rota (Nipissing – Timiskaming), and MP Scoot Aitchison (Parry Sound-Muskoka).
If the boundary is redrawn, the new riding named Kiiwetinoong-Mushkegowuk would be 520,307 square kilometres in size, which geographically would be equivalent to the size of France.
“When you compare this to Brampton, which the Commission is recommending a 6th riding be created in a city that is only 266 square kilometres, you can see why it is difficult to substantiate the loss of a Northern Riding,” the open letter states.
Another concern addressed in the letter is the lack of public hearings in the North. Sioux Lookout, Kenora and Timmins have their scheduled hearing in Oct. but the rest of Northern Ontario are lumped into one hearing date on Oct 26. Southern Ontario has 12 scheduled while Northern Ontario has three.
Furthermore, the letter also addresses that Indigenous communities have concerns over the lack of consultation.
“We share further concerns, such as the limited number of public hearings, especially given the fact that most public consultations are not being held in Northern communities that are directly impacted by the proposals, including Indigenous communities who indicate not having been consulted. We are also concerned that the consultation process is taking place during municipal elections, which may restrict the ability of affected municipalities to engage in the process,” as stated in the letter.
To learn more about the redistribution of the federal electoral district or find out when the public hearings will begin, click on the link.
