Western Producer staff
Amid the babble of debate about larger political issues that swirled across Parliament Hill last week, one little-noticed drama was being played out which could have a substantial impact on rural voters and their constituencies.
Hour by hour, MPs trooped before parliamentary committees to complain about proposals to redraw constituency boundary lines before the next election.
Prairie MPs’ theme was that the new boundaries would make life more difficult for rural MPs and their representation of rural voters less effective.
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The new ridings were drawn by independent commissions appointed every decade to take account of population shifts revealed in the census. They try to make sure there is not too much population variance between ridings.
Across the country, the new constituency lines would reflect the constant urbanization of Canada. In a new 301-seat House of Commons, there would be more urban seats, fewer rural seats and bigger rural seats.
In Saskatchewan, for example, two rural seats would disappear and eight of the province’s 14 seats would combine rural areas with parts of either Regina or Saskatoon.
In Manitoba, boundaries would be redrawn to separate traditional communities of interest, according to protesting MPs.
Dauphin-Swan River MP Marlene Cowling said she spent “four weeks of 18-hour days” to travel her riding this summer. Redistribution would make it worse.
“It is already difficult for rural Members of Parliament to spend a great deal of time in their ridings, given the length of time needed to travel to and from Ottawa,” she said. “While in the riding, the distance between communities means that it is difficult to keep in touch and effectively represent a rural riding.”
Provencher MP David Iftody complained about losing the northern part of his present riding to an already-huge Churchill riding.
From Saskatchewan, agriculture minister and Regina MP Ralph Goodale complained that the proposed changes were illogical, unnecessary and harmful.
Loss of two rural ridings and the combination of large rural areas with slices of urban areas means rural interests would be submerged, he said.
“This amounts to a devaluation of rural Saskatchewan.”
It turned out to be a non-partisan issue. Regina New Democrat John Solomon said he agreed “wholeheartedly” with the Liberal minister. “It looks like they were mischievous when they drew the lines.”
At times, the objections were simply the complaints of MPs trying to preserve the voter base that elected them in 1993. More often, they were logical arguments of politicians trying to preserve logical rural representation.
Their voices were heard by other politicians and their complaints will be registered with the independent provincial commissions that drew up the boundaries.
But will they have an effect?
It will be early December before it is clear if the commissions were moved enough to make changes. A lot of rural MPs will be anxiously watching.
