Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good morning, dear colleagues.
At the time of the last review of the federal electoral map, I was a member of the Quebec National Assembly. The former Mayor of Sainte-Julie had told me at the time that apart from the fact that she did not feel included in this new riding, that she wanted nothing to do with the name "Montarville".
My request is therefore not an opposition per se to the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec, but rather a proposal to change the name of the riding of Montarville so that it better reflects its constituent communities and residents.
In terms of its toponymy, the name “Montarville” primarily refers to a former seigneury and, more precisely, to the city of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, meaning it covers only part of the riding. While “Montarville” is quite appropriate for the name of the provincial electoral district given its constituent municipalities and the fact that Boucherville (which is not part of the federal electoral district) and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville are crossed and connected by Montarville Boulevard/Street, this name does, however, seem much less appropriate for the federal riding.
I believe the federal riding could have a name that is more inclusive for its constituent localities and residents, especially considering that the commission’s proposed amendments include adding a significant part of the City of Carignan, which did not support this transfer to the federal riding of Montarville.
Mont Saint-Bruno is the one geographic feature shared by Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Sainte-Julie, the three municipalities in the federal riding. This landmark can easily be seen throughout the new federal riding.
Standing high above the Montérégie, Mont Saint-Bruno is a distinctive feature of the riding’s landscape. It is home to Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park, the busiest of all of Quebec’s national parks, and backs onto a popular ski resort. It is therefore widely known far beyond the boundaries of the federal riding.
I believe that a name change is essential to create a sense of belonging that can be shared by all of the riding’s residents, especially in light of the commission’s proposed changes. I also believe that it would be appropriate to add the name “L’Acadie” to “Mont-Saint-Bruno” to acknowledge the citizens of the City of Carignan who will be incorporated into the federal riding currently known as Montarville.
The L’Acadie River runs through the City of Carignan and part of the City of Saint-Basile-le-Grand. Moreover, the name “L’Acadie” refers to the historic region of Canada whose sons and daughters, following the Acadian Deportation, played an important role in developing the region of Quebec now known as the Montérégie
For the aforementioned reasons, I propose that the federal riding of Montarville, as amended in the proposal of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec, be named the riding of “Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie” (or “L’Acadie—Mont-Saint-Bruno”). This new name would have the added benefit of differentiating the federal riding from the provincial riding, which has substantially different boundaries
Thank you, Madam Chair.