Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Feb. 14th, 2013

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It's easy to ask.

Do you have a very clear picture of what's being asked by all these members, or do you have any contradictions in mind, any idea that they've asked for different things? No?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

It would be more difficult for the commission if we were wrestling between members of Parliament, but we all agree that this would be in the best interest of the maps. It has nothing to do with politics in that area. This is just functionality of communities and ridings.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Great.

I have Mr. Armstrong.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Would you put up the map of the province of Alberta with the last proposal of the boundary commission—the whole province—just so I can take a look? Make sure I can see the whole north. Is that the boundary at the top?

Okay, I have it. That's a huge riding.

Can you go up there and use your teacher's skills for me?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Yes, I can do it from here. What would you like?

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Just point to the towns like Whitecourt on this map.

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

I am indicating Whitecourt.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

The whole geographic area you're talking about moving the line from...relatively, we're not talking about a huge adjustment.

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

No, we're just taking Whitecourt and Barrhead and putting that area into Yellowhead, where it is now.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

But by doing that you're not really changing the geographic size of the northern riding. What you are doing, though, is kind of balancing communities of interest outside an urban area, correct?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

That's exactly right—community of interest. It would be a much fairer riding, and it's a little bit smaller in demographics, but the size geographically is more focused to the north and its common interests, in adding those communities to the south.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

I do know a little bit about this area because I have a whole basketball team living in Edson that supports Rob now, so there are 12 of them of the 85%, or whatever he gets.

But from the northern border in Yellowhead, Rob, is there a highway that goes right up to the top, to the Northwest Territories?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Well, there's the Alaska Highway that does go up. There are two corridors coming through Yellowhead; one is Highway 43 that goes right up, and one goes to Grande Cache and to Valleyview and up.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

If you were driving from the northern border of your riding to the Northwest Territories to the highest community where there are actually people living, how long would it take you to drive?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

I'm telling you, it's 15 hours on a really good day.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Do people fly? Is that how they get—

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

No. There is an airport in Grand Prairie. There's also one in Peace River, but—

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

They're still far away.

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

—commercial flights are very limited.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Tell me—

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

But the population up here is very sparse as well.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

It doesn't show on that map, but are there some communities up in the northern part? How big are the biggest communities? Would there be 200 or 400?

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Chris Warkentin represents that area. He would know much more accurately than I do. You have Hythe and High Level and so on; they're smaller communities. I really don't have the numbers. You might have the numbers better than I would.

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Realistically, if that MP is tied up in the urban area with the bulk of the population, by trying to get around it, some people will see their MP very rarely.

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Especially if he comes from the Whitecourt or Barrhead area, where the focus and all the population is. If he comes from the Peace River or Slave Lake area, then his focus is the north, and it's much more apt to be a proper representation.