Thank you very much for this opportunity to participate in the commission's work.
I am objecting to the February proposal for Vancouver Quadra, which basically turns it into Vancouver East Broadway and is a dramatic and radical change to the boundaries. It's not just a move of certain parts of the boundary, but it changes the entire constituency from being a north-south one on the peninsula of Vancouver to being an east-west boundary out to essentially Ontario Street along Broadway. This was done without consultation.
The June redistricting addressed the issues and the challenges that were being faced by the area. That was acceptable, so I didn't connect with the commission at that point. It maintained Vancouver Quadra as the peninsula and added some of Kits Point to bring the Kitsilano community together. Therefore, the fact that it went from that to a radical redraw with no consultation is completely unacceptable.
I will tell you the key reason for that: The community of the Musqueam is being fragmented into two constituencies under this proposal. The map shows that are a number of key reconciliation, land ownership and development opportunities for the Musqueam that would be in one constituency, while the Musqueam community residential area is in a completely separate constituency under the February plan.
Under article 19 of UNDRIP, it says, “States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.”
I have a letter of objection from the chief of the Musqueam Indian Band regarding this fragmentation of their community with zero consultation. I have hundreds of letters from Vancouver Quadra residents. I'm going to read just one of them, because I think this captures it. I'm not sure who it's from, frankly, but it says:
Splitting the area where the Musqueam are located seems to me comparable to building a highway through Vancouver's downtown core (which was thankfully avoided years ago). The UBC area, and the South Coast including the still standing forest of the peninsula is historically, culturally and physically a part of the Indigenous community. Dividing them does not make sense and hampers a meaningful relationship and cooperation with the residents of that part of the riding [whose] efficient representation and understanding of their needs...has been neglected for [too] long.
Separating Arbutus Ridge, Mackenzie Heights, Kerrisdale, Southlands and most of Dunbar from UBC and Point Grey area shows a lack of understanding of how the whole area west of Granville grew over Vancouver's historical development. I think the Quadra riding as it stands in last year's proposal should be valued as a distinct area to be appreciated as is and represented as a natural whole under its present name.
That really captures the fact that this is a very dramatic change to the riding that takes out many historic neighbourhoods. I share the concern about Marpole being taken and put as part of the Richmond riding. I share the concerns of others about that. If that were to be restored, I think that is a part of the redistricting that needs to be done in Vancouver that would protect the Musqueam lands and keep them contiguous with their residential community hub.
Thank you.