Thank you very much, Chair.
I thank my colleagues for being here today.
I must admit that the entire Conservative caucus of Montreal spent a lot of time studying the changes proposed by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec. We arrived at some conclusions.
First, we do not object to the various requests for name changes. We think the members and constituents of each riding are in the best position to determine the name of their riding. I, myself, come from a rural region and I will be in your position on Thursday, since 14 municipalities of my riding are going to be transferred to other administrative regions.
To me, the idea of maintaining the status quo does not hold water because the population of Quebec is changing.
Mr. Boulerice, I would like to know what you propose for redoing the map of Montreal while respecting the Commission's mandate, which is to ensure equitable representation to many people. Many members in numerous regions of Quebec and Canada will have to make sacrifices. Some ridings will get bigger and communities with no ties to one another will be grouped together. Unfortunately, your proposal of doing nothing and leaving things be, is hard to understand. I think that the commissioners will also have a hard time accepting that.