Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Since he came a bit late for valid reasons, maybe I will ask Mr. McKay to comment more about the rationale of the commission. This committee needs to understand that rationale and your answer on that.
I think the commission came with four arguments, to which other colleagues may also react.
The first one is to have better balance between populations of different ridings in the Scarborough area. Secondly, the commission has heard that Morningside Heights and Malvern should not be split. It seems that this was something the commission wanted to avoid.
The third reason is that the commission heard a lot of objections about creating an electoral district east of the region that crossed highway 401. Many presentations argued for a “more natural north-south orientation for electoral districts in this region”. I'm quoting the commission.
And finally, the commission was advised that, “if the boundaries of an electoral district had to cross highway 401, it was preferable that this occur in the more mature and developed western portion of Scarborough area”.
What are your reactions to this rationale?