Evidence of meeting #65 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 riding.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Here's one take on it. You don't have this map, but this is Vancouver Island North. There's West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast. There's Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. Here is the Chilliwack riding down here.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Yes. So now I look into this and say that Chilliwack riding dips down south. Is it almost to the border?
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
You're proposing including maybe all the way up to Pemberton, which would require that MP.... How would they get there? They would have to go up highway 1 and then cut across and go way up and then cut down after Ashcroft. Is that right?
Conservative
Conservative
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
And you're suggesting including deeper down into Squamish regional district. Is that what you said? You mentioned Squamish at one time.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Yes, but that's only me talking, just to get the population numbers.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I know, and this is where it's going to be tricky for the committee, it's to make the recommendation of what the carry-on effects are going to be to the maps.
We can simply say we reflect your testimony and you don't want the inclusion of Powell River, but then in the implication of what that means is where my concern lies.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
The implication is that Weston, Saxton, and Strahl have all said if they are asked to work together to come up with boundaries that would work, they'd be happy to do it in order to accomplish keeping Powell River on the mainland.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Okay. Maybe when they come and testify there will be some of what we saw with northern Alberta, which was, “Here is the map that we suggest and this is why we think it will work.”
My other question is for James. In terms of going down island, you talked about splitting Courtenay and Comox as not being a natural thing to do because they're so connected. Did I hear you right?
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Nanaimo is split right now and has been for years; the city itself is cut in half. Is that right? How's Nanaimo split?
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Currently, I have the larger half with about 45,000 of a population of 86,000.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
It's 55-45, but of course it's been that way for 12 years. It's a bigger city and they were quite happy to have two MPs actually.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Your concern earlier was about splitting communities in half. What I'm trying to understand from your suggestion is what would be the carry-on effects. Have you spoken to Jean Crowder or anyone down south on the island on what the impacts would be on their ridings and if they had agreement with what you're suggesting?
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Frankly, Jean, whose office is currently in Duncan, probably wouldn't be affected at all with the riding where her office is situated, which is now called Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, which includes Duncan.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Has she signed off? One of the things the committee looks for is whether MPs who are affected by what you're suggesting—
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Currently, the city of Nanaimo would have about 30,000. At least the proposal I've had would leave me with about 10,000 to 15,000 left of that population, of the 45,000 I currently represent. That would be added to a chunk of what she used to represent. Neither one of us would...well, unless one of us chose to run in that riding. There would be an extra riding there looking for someone to represent it.
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Technically, there's been such a reconfiguration you can argue about which one is the new one. Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, I guess, technically is the new one, isn't it?
Conservative
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Everything else, except Victoria, has had significant shifts. So, in essence, you could say Nanaimo is the one that currently doesn't have representation, other than what I currently represent, the whole city, basically...well, in terms of mine is the only MP's full-time office that's in Nanaimo.
