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.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Fox Creek and Swan Hills would be the other northern communities. I don't see Swan Hills....
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Yes, Swan Hills is there. It would all go north. So that would be the northern boundary of Yellowhead or the southern boundary of Grande Prairie—Peace River. That would work very well on the demographics. When you look at the demographics here, they're about 11% under for the Peace River riding. That's within 25% of the criteria. But look at the size of the thing. It goes from there to the Northwest Territories, which is a tremendous size. So to have a smaller.... I'm talking about this riding in green, and it would go all the way up. I think Chris Warkentin argued there should only be one MP at the very north, because you have a highway that splits small communities up there. That's all northern area.
It would be wiser to go with the map that has been proposed by the MPs, as far as the historical patterns are concerned, as well as the identity of those communities.
The other riding that is a little under the numbers on the map we've proposed is the Fort McMurray area. It's one of the fastest growing areas, as is the Peace River country. The demographics over a 10-year period would shrink the difference rather than have it get worse, if you want to look at it that way.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Okay. Let's go to members' questions.
Mr. Lukiwski, clear up that puzzled look on your face by asking really good questions.
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
I don't know if I can clear it up. I'm just trying to get a sense of which map we are looking at that was proposed by the boundaries commission. Is it the one on the left, and on the right is the map proposed by Mr. Merrifield?
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
That's a Google map of reality, and this is the riding that Elections Canada....
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
Is there a possibility of getting the boundaries map as proposed and Mr. Merrifield's proposed map up on the screen, side by side?
Conservative
Conservative
Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK
I'd like to get the boundaries commission proposal and Mr. Merrifield's proposal on....
February 14th, 2013 / 11:10 a.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Before we do any of that, though, could I ask a question of Elections Canada? This has happened before. We get one map that I can't figure out. It's not the status quo, it's not the proposal that the boundaries commission has made, and it's not the proposal that the member is making. I can't figure out what it is.
Johanne Boisvert Assistant Director, Analysis, Electoral Redistribution, Elections Canada
The one on the screen is the report that was tabled by Parliament. That's not a proposal but a report.
Conservative
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Sorry. Hang on. You're saying there was the first report of the boundaries commission, whatever they call these proposals. So there's the initial proposal that came out in the summer, and then there's the report.... Is that what they call the second one?
Assistant Director, Analysis, Electoral Redistribution, Elections Canada
Between the two, there was the public consultation. Then in light of the comments received, they may have changed or updated their report, and that's the report.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Why would we still be seeing that first one if they've done a second report since?
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Before we ask—that's your modus operandi for everything we've had so far. It's always the initial proposal—I think I've got the terms right—and then the second report. Am I right?
The boundaries proposal first, then their second thing, is always what you've been doing. Is that...?
Assistant Director, Analysis, Electoral Redistribution, Elections Canada
I think so far we've never presented the proposal as it—that first proposal—
Assistant Director, Analysis, Electoral Redistribution, Elections Canada
Yes, of the commission. This one is the report. You can always refer to the actual or the proposed, but the one we are displaying here is the report.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
I could be wrong, but I think what might work best—the committee can correct me if it doesn't think I'm right about this—would be to have two maps: the current boundary commission proposal, the one we're discussing changing, on the left, and then on the right have what the status quo is, the actual boundaries as they are today based on the redistribution of 2004.
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Actually, on this one over on your left, your yellow lines represent the proposal that was in the last map. Is that right?
Conservative
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
That is the report, the yellow lines. The blue lines are what we're recommending. It's on one map and it shows you the difference.
