THUNDER BAY — The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario received a clear message at its consultation meeting in Thunder Bay on Tuesday night.
All 14 people who spoke at a last-minute hearing on its plan to create a huge riding stretching from Manitoba to Quebec — taking in numerous Indigenous communities — while simultaneously cutting one riding from Northern Ontario, feel the scheme is flawed.
The commission also proposes to enlarge the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding to include Kenora and Dryden, and shift the boundary line between two ridings within Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay city councillor Kristen Oliver noted that council and the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association are among many groups that have passed resolutions opposing the redistribution plan.
Wayne Tocheri, a board member for the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Liberal Riding Association, voiced his opposition.
"Unfortunately, we do not find much merit in what you have proposed," he said.
Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski, who represents that riding, has been among the most outspoken critics of the boundary changes, describing it as "an assault on the democratic rights of the people of Northern Ontario."
The views expressed at the hearing largely mirrored concerns heard previously from various quarters including the Northern Ontario MPs representing all three main political parties.
There's a consensus among many stakeholders that the sheer size of the proposed new ridings would make it difficult for any MP to connect with constituents and properly represent them.
A provincial politician also weighed in on this at the Thunder Bay hearing.
"The proposed new riding boundaries will reduce representation for every district and every person in Northern Ontario," said Lise Vaugeois, the NDP MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
Iain Angus, who served as MP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan from 1984 to 1993, told the commission "It's one thing to say that every member of parliament should represent 100,000 or 115,000 people. But if you don't have a chance to see those people face-to-face on a regular basis, you won't know what the issues really are."
Two-time federal NDP candidate Yuk-Sem Won criticized the plan to reduce the North's representation from 10 MPs to nine.
"Don't take away the very few representatives that we have. We desperately need them," she said.
None of the speakers indicated they were appearing on behalf of Indigenous communities or groups, but many were apprehensive about the impact redistribution would have on First Nations.
They also questioned whether there has been adequate consultation.
The commission has three members, none of whom is from Northern Ontario.
They've received about 2,000 written or oral submissions from across the province.
The commission will now review the feedback and consider possible revisions to the redistribution plan.
"There has been some clear messages, and we will be making some changes for sure. Exactly what they are, we honestly do not know yet," Superior Court Justice Lynne Leitch, who chairs the group, said in an interview
She said the commission's goal is to take into account "a community of interest, community of identity, geography and historical pattern "to ensure we are achieving effective representation for an area."
Tocheri told TBNewswatch he's confident the commission will take the concerns it's heard from Northwestern Ontario into account, given "the totality of the presentations" and the similar messages from representatives of every political party.
His submission focused not just on the impracticality of representing a riding of such diverse interests between Thunder Bay and Kenora, but also on the plan to adjust the riding boundary line within the City of Thunder Bay.
Tocheri said that under the current proposal, Northwood and Parkdale would be moved from Thunder Bay-Rainy River to Thunder Bay-Superior North, and that Oliver Paipoonge would also be split between the two ridings.
He disagrees with that, saying it goes against the commission's own guideline of respecting communities of interest.
The commission's final report to the Speaker of the House of Commons is due in early February 2023.
Its recommendations would then be subject to parliamentary review.
Any new riding boundaries that are approved must be implemented by April 2024.
With files from Leigh Nunan, TBT News