It's a good one.
Let's start with effectiveness of representation. All nine polls are sitting within the boundaries of the city of Moncton. There's a public transit system that goes from where they live to my riding office within about 15 minutes. At this time, there is no public transit that goes to the honourable Dominic LeBlanc's riding, which is in Shediac. So if you don't have a car, you either hitchhike to come to my place or you can take the bus, or you can hitchhike to the neighbouring riding. I don't think you can hitchhike on Highway 2, although it's nearby.
With regard to community of interest, other than perhaps having a very nice cottage in Beauséjour or Dieppe, there are not any significant ties between this area and the riding of Beauséjour—Dieppe. These polls have been within the city of Moncton, within this riding, for over 45 years. The community of interest...I won't repeat it; it's in my brief. Look, they have the same municipal council. All the factors are there, the economic commission, the whole bit. In fact, if anything, the ties with this part of the riding in Moncton are going to intensify rather than diminish.
Here's why. Moncton High School, which is situated right in the heart of Moncton, is moving in 2014. It's moving to poll 55. So in essence you'd have Moncton High School in Beauséjour—Dieppe riding, and all the houses and all the infrastructure built around it in Beauséjour—Dieppe. It doesn't seem to make sense from the point of view of community of interest.
If you look at it from a total point of community of interest of the riding, it's Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe. A portion of Riverview, 45% of the residents, reside in Fundy—Royal. They have Dieppe. Now the initial provision was to try to put all of Dieppe within Beauséjour—Dieppe, but a portion of Dieppe is now in Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe. By putting these nine polls into the neighbouring riding, what you have is a further fractioning of a community of interest. So you could have part of all three of the cities in other ridings. That to me doesn't make sense from the point of view of effectiveness of representation and community of interest.
The major objection, and I draw your attention to this, for not having put all of Dieppe into the Beauséjour—Dieppe riding was a concern about diluting the political strength of the francophones. Doing that would have taken the francophones from 31% to 20%. In the riding as it stands, I believe 28.2% of the voters would be francophone. By adding the 6,087 in the nine polls, the number of francophones actually goes up...and there is a mistake in my brief; I said 29.62%. I redid the math; it's 29.25%. The francophones go up by a full percentage point, so surely that argument can't rule the day.
I've spoken to the honourable Dominic LeBlanc. He doesn't object to representing these people, but it doesn't cause much of a domino effect to his riding. I believe his riding as it stands is about 84,000. Moncton is at 85,000. By removing the 6,000, his riding is still over the quotient, so it really becomes a matter of balance, effective representation, and community of interest.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.