The Bloc Québécois is finding it difficult to digest the proposed changes to the Federal Rides map, giving the Commons a new seat in the Laurentians at the expense of the Gaspé rides of Avignon – La Mitis – Matane – Matapédia, which are to become with its neighbors merged.

This is the conclusion of the report by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Quebec, published on Wednesday. It recommends new boundaries for as many as 61 of Quebec’s 78 horse farms. Only 17 therefore remain unchanged.

“We cannot afford to lose an equestrian sport in such a large area, from Montmagny to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine,” criticized Kristina Michaud, the current equestrian MP, who is doomed to disappear.

She promises to do everything to “save the political clout of eastern Quebec” and cites working with Liberal minister Diane Lebouthillier and Conservative MP Bernard Généreux to pressure the commission to pass its verdict cancels. This is the third time such a commission has proposed the abolition of a seat in the region.

Changes for 2024

This series of district shifts, which must be carried out every ten years, is coming to an end. Elected officials unhappy with the work of retired judge Jacques Chamberland and his two expert commissioners can still be heard before a parliamentary committee. The commission could amend its final report, which the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada is normally required to submit by the summer.

The changes must then be translated into a decree by the government. Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities Dominic Leblanc does not intend to change the independent commission’s decisions. The new constituency boundaries will come into effect when the next elections are called, provided they take place after April 2024.

The federal electoral representation of other regions of Quebec will also be reorganized. Jonquière in Saguenay, for example, will share its Ottawa headquarters with Alma in Lac-Saint-Jean. “It’s laughing at our region,” responded Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, whose rider is about to be amputated in the city of Alma.

Quarters of Montreal shared

In Montreal, the Laurier – Sainte-Marie and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce – Westmount equestrian centers need to be expanded by extending them to the Ville-Marie – Le Sud-Ouest – Île-des-Soeurs area. Sud-Ouest councilor Craig Sauvé speaks of a “disaster” for the Saint-Henri district. United by its precarious socio-economic position and its community groups, it is soon divided into two federal equestrian estates on either side of its main street, rue Notre-Dame.

“We just massacred the natural boundary [du quartier]. It makes no sense. That will make life more difficult for on-site advice,” he complained in an interview with the Duty.

Greater Quebec Electoral Boundaries Changed; still others will change their name, like Salaberry – Suroît, which becomes Beauharnois – Soulanges. Other names have been changed to reflect the reality of Aboriginal people in Quebec.

Also, a brand new voting division will see the light of day with the Laurentians. Under the name of Les Pays-d’en-Haut, it will bring together the towns of Saint-Sauveur, Sainte-Adèle and their surroundings. The chairman of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, wished that this new seat had not been created “at the expense of eastern Québec”.

“We deserve to keep the rides in eastern Quebec and add rides in regions where the population is growing. I don’t think people living in the Laurentians are particularly concerned about their ability to make themselves heard, especially in the region where it’s emerging, which is about halfway between Montreal and Ottawa,” he said Mr. Blanchet.

A law passed last June stipulates the retention of at least 78 electoral divisions in Quebec. However, five ridings were established in other provinces: three in Alberta, one in Ontario, and one in British Columbia. The relative weight of Quebec representation would thus be diluted in a lower house from 338 to 343 elected members.

To see in the video