Commentaire 6 (13 mars 2022) – commentaires et rétroaction

Subject: Tobique-Mactaquac Electoral Riding

Hello. I live in Tobique-Mactaquac and I have real problems with how this riding is defined. It includes a tiny sliver of the City of Fredericton in an otherwise huge, rural riding.

The net result of that is that I get cut out of all the debates, campaigns, and discussions that actually focus on issues that affect Fredericton, despite the fact that I live in Fredericton. Instead, when anyone bothers to campaign here at all, the focus is on the rest of the riding, which is mostly rural, far farther north, and generally is focused on a very different set of issues.

And that's when they do campaign here at all. In the most recent election, there was basically no campaign in this part of the riding. No signs, no mail outs, no debate within an hour's drive (making it wholly impractical to attend for those working full time), and no visibility from most of the candidates at all. They campaigned in the rest of the riding and ignored us, while we got more signs for Fredericton itself (because people going to the Brookside Mall can largely vote in Fredericton).

This creates a very obvious situation where we have no say into voting for the candidate that will actually represent us, as residents of the City of Fredericton. The Fredericton riding's MP does that, while our MP is focused entirely on the rural parts of the riding and we are generally ignored. Frankly, I feel that this riding map has disenfranchised me.

It's even more ridiculous when one considers that Oromocto, an entirely different city, is in the Fredericton riding while part of Fredericton itself is not.

This situation makes very little sense. There's no reason why my street in Fredericton should be in the same riding as Perth-Andover, while virtually across the street the rest of Fredericton is in its own riding.

Thank you.

Chris Eaton