Evidence of meeting #60 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was map.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Actually, Nathan, we should all have laser pointers for exactly this purpose. The next time someone like Merrifield tries a stunt like that on you....
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
We'll agree that it's slightly different, but it's essentially the same.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
All right. That's the only thing I can spot, but you can see why I'm raising it.
11:35 a.m.
Assistant Director, Analysis, Electoral Redistribution, Elections Canada
According to the report, the screen on the right is the good one. There may be a slight difference on the left.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
This is the one we should be looking at.
The next thing I wanted to ask is just a question to Mr. Merrifield.
You've explained a whole bunch of other things very well.
Down here, you've drawn the line through the middle of Banff National Park, as opposed to going around it. Is that of any importance to you, or is that just one of those...?
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
It's all mountain park. Nobody lives there. It's all national park.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
So if the boundaries commission just stuck with what they've done....
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
I'm just guessing. I don't know this. I'm guessing that probably whoever drew the map just found it easier to draw a line there.
11:35 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Okay, fair enough. I just wanted to get that cleared up.
The next thing I wanted to ask is—and this line appears to be the same—up here, there are a whole bunch of places where it's a little bit different. It goes in a little bit here, for example. What is the reason for those little minor variations?
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
I think that's trying to get the population so that it meets the commission's criteria as closely as possible. That's just complying with my colleagues on that side who are trying to massage that line. I'm not exercised about that line and where it goes at all.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Okay. I assume the commission is going to be rereading and trying to figure out the transcripts of this. I'll just make it clear that the first area we agreed was uninhabitated is the northern part of Banff National Park, which under the map you've submitted would be put into the Yellowhead riding, but you don't think there's any need for the variation from the committee's report.
Then the rest of what I was referring to was along the eastern boundary. Your proposal has geographically very minor variations—numerous minor variations from the left to the right—but those are not key to your proposal.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
No, they're not, and these are.... The map we put on is maybe a little rougher than what the commission might have to massage along there. We're not exercised one way or the other on that.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
In the event they want to follow your recommendation—and I have the map we're looking at—do you have a legal description of the sort that they include in their boundary proposals, where it says, “it follows this road and it turns left at this intersection”, and that kind of thing? Otherwise it will be very difficult for them to actually replicate what you're proposing.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Most of it does, but we certainly can. I wasn't so interested in doing 100% of the commission's work on those details, but just generally we're looking at trying to comply with the numbers so that—
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
That's right. I'm not too exercised one way or the other whether they move that line.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
You have to understand the position we're in as a committee. We're supposed to look at your proposal and either agree with it or disagree with it. We're not supposed to massage it and say, “Well, we're doing what he recommended, except we'd like to make further changes”, especially because we're doing this after they've made their presentations. That's the limitation on what we can do.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Following the lines I have there I think would comply with what I've said. Now, whether that line moves.... Here the commission has the line going out a little bit farther and then in a little farther. I don't think we're too exercised one way or the other.
11:40 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
All right. That's very helpful. Thank you very much.
11:40 a.m.
NDP
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Is it possible that this proposal was also made by Mr. Calkins, who came here?
11:40 a.m.
A voice
Yes.
11:40 a.m.
NDP
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
He testified about what happens with Wetaskiwin and Red Deer and all that stuff.
When Mr. Brian Jean was here, they were saying they did this all together. I think this is why the boundaries are different for that. It's the proposal of Mr. Calkins, I think. It would make sense.