Commentaire 5 – commentaires et rétroaction

Allan Baker

Please consider this as a written submission. I am not a public speaker, but as a Canadian citizen, I wish to have my perspective taken into account as the electoral map of Ontario is re-drawn.

First of all, has the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission considered the ripple effect of its proposal to reduce the number of electoral districts in Scarborough? This decision seems not to recognize that boundaries established by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission have serious implications for other levels of government. The decision will not only adversely affect the federal level of government by reducing the number of M.P.s, from Scarborough in the House of Commons, but also the number of M.P.P.s and the number of Councillors representing Scarborough at Toronto’s City Hall.

Having fewer representatives, especially in a growing area of Canada such as Scarborough, means that the effectiveness of our elected representation will be diluted. We actually need a greater number of representatives elected from Scarborough, and Toronto, rather than fewer people in public office. A reduction in the number of elected politicians results in a concentration of power in the hands of fewer people. This goes against a desire to increase democracy.

While the population of Ontario has increased by 1.3 million, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission has awarded Ontario only one more representative for the House of Commons. This is an outstandingly poor proposal because of its arbitrary limit on the number of representatives in the House of Commons as a whole. It means that while Ontario has grown by more than a million people, and will grow continually, only a single additional seat in the House of Commons will be allocated to this Province.

Secondly, we can reasonably anticipate that the workload for a Member of Parliament will increase over time, especially when a Member has additional constituents. We have seen this happen in Toronto when the Ontario government reduced the number of Councillors by 50 per cent.

• Are some Councillors currently leaving City Hall because the additional work load is causing burnout?
• Is an increased workload conducive to a fair and equitable democratic process?
• Does it contribute to a healthy, balanced, lifestyle for the people involved?

These are questions that the Commission must consider carefully when new electoral boundaries are being considered, not only here in Toronto, but also in rural areas. Here in Ontario, for example, the proposed riding of Hastings-Lennox and Addington - Tyendinaga will cover a huge geographic area and the elected representative will have constituents from many totally different communities; just as there are many different communities within Scarborough - Guildwood, where I live.

A decision to maintain six ridings in Scarborough for the purpose of maintaining a healthy democracy, and the human cost of representing five larger ridings need to be taken into account.

Thank you for considering this submitting from an “ordinary” Canadian who values democracy, and the well-being of our elected representatives.

Yours truly;

Allan Baker