Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all PROC committee members for this opportunity today to present my opposition to the electoral commission report's redistribution of the electoral boundaries for the proposed riding now named Richmond Centre—Marpole.
The report's boundaries for Steveston—Richmond East had maintained the Richmond municipal boundaries, but to meet the population average, Marpole Vancouver was added to the riding of Richmond Centre.
In the submitted objection document, I have the support of my neighbouring and affected members of Parliament—the Honourable Joyce Murray, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, member of Parliament Taleeb Noormohamed and member of Parliament Parm Bains—on this proposed option for a new riding boundary. It is also supported by the mayor of Richmond, Richmond and Marpole community organizations, and residents of Richmond and Marpole.
The report points out that there is now public transit access connecting the city of Vancouver community of Marpole with the riding of Richmond Centre on the other side of the Fraser River. It assumes that physically joining these two communities would logically allow the residents of these two distinct communities to interact naturally or to feel connected as one community. This is not the reality, and the TransLink usage numbers confirm that it is these suburban residents who utilize transit to commute to jobs in the city of Vancouver. The usage by those working in Richmond is very minimal.
In the statistics of the City of Richmond, specifically for the riding of Richmond Centre, the community of Marpole affirms the location situation. Richmond is a city accessible only by several bridges and a tunnel. It has the highest population percentage of new immigrants of Asian background. A large majority of them reside in the residential developments within Richmond Centre, which accounts for more than 75% of Richmond's annual population growth.
The 2021 census undertaken during the pandemic had a higher-than-average undercount rate for Richmond Centre. That's because many residents would have been missed because they were not residing in Canada during the pandemic. Since then, many large condo development projects have been completed and occupied, and at least two major developments in Richmond Centre will be completed within the year or next year. This rapid growth has necessitated the building of an additional transit stop.
Marpole sees itself as a distinct community within the city of Vancouver. The City of Vancouver's Marpole community plan expects 30% growth in the next 30 years. Due to this significant growth, the City of Vancouver's parks board is replacing the existing Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre to meet this demand.
As a resident of Richmond Centre for over 25 years, I have seen first-hand how this municipality has changed and grown. Personally, I don't feel any cohesion with the communities along the Vancouver side of the Fraser River, and residents of Richmond like me feel that we have our own distinct and unique local characteristics, culture and identities. I am certain that the residents of Marpole feel the same way.
With this distinct local challenge, Richmond organizations have been formed to meet community service needs, so that the residents in Richmond are not required to leave their island community. Some examples of these organizations are Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives; the Richmond Centre for Disability; and the Richmond Multicultural Community Services society. The community of Marpole also has its own local organizations that serve the distinct needs of the community, such as Marpole Neighbourhood House and Marpole Oakridge Family Place.
I hope these provided objection materials support the conclusion that Richmond and Marpole residents would be better served by a member of Parliament who represents their respective municipalities only. Richmond East—