Comment 62 – comments and feedback

Julia D'Silva

Dear Members of the Ontario Commission for the Federal Electoral Districts Redistribution:

My name is Julia D'Silva. I am a lifelong resident of Scarborough-Agincourt, and am the proud member of a family which has been in Scarborough for over 60 years. Scarborough is not just where I live; it is an integral part of my day-to-day life. Every decision I make is coloured by the fact that I am from Scarborough. I am currently completing my law school education with the intention to return to and serve the community that raised me.

With that said, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I am vehemently opposed to the redistribution proposal which would see my riding of Scarborough-Agincourt divided and partially absorbed into the existing Don Valley North riding. By focusing purely on numbers, your proposal plan neglects the complex issues that are unique to Scarborough residents. Scarborough votes differently because we have different priorities.

While I'd love to think that this process considered demographics, communities, and historical oppression prior to formulating its proposal, the evident lack of thought given to Scarborough makes me think a social studies lesson might be in order. Scarborough is poorer, more diverse, and more underfunded than the rest of Toronto. Due to the convergence of these and many other factors, Scarborough voters have interests that are not shared by our more affluent, whiter, and better-funded neighbours to the west. What Scarborough needs right now is a voice in Parliament. If Canada wishes to continue spreading this myth of multiculturalism, silencing the voices of its most diverse group of residents sure is a step in the wrong direction.

The reality is that the residents of North York do not understand, do not care about, and cannot be expected to vote in Scarborough's best interest. To reduce the representation of the area of Toronto which needs it the most is a gross oversight and a perpetuation of long-standing governmental neglect of Canada's racialized and working class communities. By taking away Scarborough's voice, you are robbing our community of the chance to participate in a representative democracy–the cornerstone of Canadian governance. What's more, this is a community that cannot afford to lose more faith in the democratic process. If we can't rely on elected officials to act for Scarborough, how are we supposed to believe that the government is acting on our behalf at all? When Toronto's whiter, more affluent areas are afforded more say and allowed to speak over Scarborough, you send a message that Scarborough's issues are not worth considering. I will say, this proposal is a stunning idea if your goal is to reduce voter turnout and confidence in Canadian government.

I trust that you will take the opinion of Scarborough residents into consideration before going through with this poorly thought-out proposal. However, considering the compelling complaints you've received from residents of other areas of Toronto (I'm particularly fond of this resident's decrying of the attempt to integrate Indigenous place names as an act of meaningless activism?clearly a much more important issue than the demolition of a marginalized neighbourhood's political representation) which I'm sure will merit much more of your attention, I remain unconvinced.

Should your intentions truly be to create more equal representation in the City of Toronto, I urge you to axe the portions of your proposal which further subjugate Scarborough, an area in need of more, not less, representation.

I look forward to hearing more about this proposal.

Best,

Julia D'Silva (she/her/elle)