Mr. Speaker, electoral boundaries readjustment, be it in Canada or in Quebec, even though always the result of logical decisions that could be based on questions of demographic or geographic balance, is nonetheless never sheltered from what can be called the "political touch". Indeed, only the magic touch would explain some of these readjustments, but I am not one to get shocked at such things.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, I have represented Laval-Centre here since October 25, 1993. Laval, the second biggest city in Quebec, now encompasses three federal ridings, named very logically. In the east, there is Laval-East; in the centre, Laval-Centre, and in the west-yes, you guessed it, Mr. Speaker-Laval-West. This electoral boundaries distribution within Laval redressed a previous rather absurd situation in which the Laval-des-Rapides constituency was partly in Laval and partly in Montreal. This great riding was separated-what an ugly word-by the Back River, or Rivière-des Prairies, that no one could swim across. The river was not an example of pollution clean-up in those days nor is it today.
To see our member of Parliament, we had two options: cross the bridge or watch TV. Mind you, the then member for Laval-des-Rapides, who also sat in your chair all those years, did a remarkable job. Like you, Mr. Speaker, she was a TV star. However, when I look at the distribution within Laval proposed by the reform which Bill C-18 would suspend, I am surprised that some strange particularities are maintained. I will come back to that at the end of my speech.
This debate is not about the need to review the distribution of electoral boundaries but about the need to rush into some minor and some major adjustments.
According to Mr. Bernard, distinguished professor of political science at the Université du Québec in Montreal, it is impossible to create several identical ridings; some will have more affluent constituents, some will be more rural. An unbalanced distribution of constituents among the ridings will be advantageous for some parties at the expense of others.
Laval is a region with a total area of little more than 250 square kilometres, but 315,000 people live on that small territory. A third of the labour force works off the island.
Are the three ridings in Laval similar? No, Mr. Speaker. Of the three, Laval Centre is undoubtedly the most urbanized, but the poorest.
The majority of households in Laval Centre rent their housing; over there, they celebrate Canada Day by moving. Just think, between 1988 and 1991, 50 per cent of the population in Laval Centre changed address. I am sure that in the neighbouring riding of Laval West, represented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage, they must celebrate Canada Day differently.
Social and economic conditions in Laval Centre are the worst in the region. The education level is slightly lower and, with the large number of single individuals and one-parent families, 20 per cent of the population of Laval Centre lived below the poverty line in 1990.
To believe one can form equal ridings in Laval is wishful thinking.
I have no problem in saying, as Professor Bernard did, that the desire to reduce inequalities among ridings while preserving the benefits their party could derive from it has created and is still creating important problems for lawmakers.
For political reasons the riding of Laval-des-Rapides has straddled a river for a long time. The same political considerations probably explain why the border between Laval East and Laval Centre, a border everybody knows in Laval, is the Boulevard des Laurentides, but this border stops abruptly, right between two Hydro-Québec power lines.
Would you believe that this enclave is located west of the Boulevard des Laurentides. It is part of Laval East. Does this make sense? I bet you could not find one voter in that area who could make sense of it.
Democracy requires that citizens fully participate in the making of decisions which affect their community. Whether it is through their representatives in Parliament, such as all of us, or through public consultations, Canadians and Quebeckers have the right to be heard and I have no doubt that this Parliament will be listening to them.