Evidence of meeting #73 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 commission.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I'm going to give you a simple answer. I want to read this letter on record because your colleague from the NDP said that she has the support of the Scarborough trustee. Let's put it on the record.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
It seems very straightforward. We asked you simply and straightforwardly, do you defend the comment you made to the local newspaper in Scarborough that the commissioners gerrymandered the ridings? You refused to answer in the first round. When Mr. Lukiwski asked a question unrelated to that, in your response you said that essentially it looked like gerrymandering to you. Do you understand that “gerrymandering” is a very volatile term?
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
You heard that from two of us at this table. I also understand that your colleague simply stated on the record that she has the support of the trustee.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
He also suggested gerrymandering? I'm not sure that he did. I think it's you alone.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
The simple fact is, your colleague stated that she had the support of the local trustee, which she doesn't. So I'd like to put a question to her. Does she or doesn't she have the support of the local trustee? Let's be perfectly clear on the record.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you.
Do you understand that to make an accusation of gerrymandering by an independent commission—as has been done before by other colleagues who, I think, then retracted or regretted that statement—is a serious allegation to make towards an arms-length, independent commission established under a federal act of Parliament. Yes or no?
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Cullen, I will go back to you again and say that my riding was butchered right down in half. If the commissioner heard from my constituents, they would have heard right here. Do you understand that over a thousand people—
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
—clearly stated their disagreement? They were public meetings.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
These people certainly were dissatisfied with what happened. There were seniors—
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
—who were certainly dissatisfied. There were people who when they looked at the final map—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Thank you both. We've passed the five minutes on that round.
Mr. Lukiwski.