A northwestern Ontario MPP potentially stands to lose a portion of her constituency as part of the province’s riding redistribution process.
But MPP Sarah Campbell, the NDP member representing Kenora-Rainy River, feels the positives would far outweigh any negatives.
The Liberal government recently moved to establish the Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission, which could recommend increasing the number of electoral districts in northern Ontario from the current 11 to either 12 or 13.
That would be accomplished by splitting Ontario’s two northernmost ridings, Kenora-Rainy River and Timmins-James Bay. The commission is one of the provisions of the proposed Election Statute Law Amendment Act, which was introduced in the legislature in October.
The government said the intent of the commission is to help improve representation of people living in the far north, including indigenous people. Attorney-General Yasir Naqvi said “this affords us an exciting opportunity to have ridings that are predominantly indigenous in nature in terms of people who live in those communities.”
Another 15 new seats are set to be added to southern Ontario before the 2018 provincial election.
Campbell said she supports the push for one or two more northern seats because this will address “the democratic deficit.”
She said access to democracy in Ontario is not equitable because it’s more difficult for an MPP to properly serve a large riding, and it can be harder for people in those areas to get their concerns dealt with at Queen’s Park.
The New Democrat MPP for Kenora-Rainy River added that the issue of representation is particularly important for First Nations people, who have problems such as health care, water quality and housing that urgently need to be addressed. Campbell said it would be “good for the face of the legislature” to have indigenous members and to have indigenous issues being raised 24/7.
As for the prospect of losing some constituents due to redistribution, she said she “would be sad to see them go, but this is about justice.”
