Commentaire 4 – commentaires et rétroaction

Sherry Barna

While it is true that Northern Ontario has experienced slower population growth than its southern counterpart, the north is the home to several unique communities and the recent 2021 data shows an increase in population.

This includes a culturally rich Francophone population, and over 106 first nations communities, which is a significant chunk of the 636 First Nations across Canada. In fact, had the commission rigidly followed the 113,000-population quota, Northern Ontario would have lost an additional representative in the House of Commons. The proposed 9 Federal ridings pale in comparison to Northern Ontario having 12 ridings provincially.

There is more than population to consider when considering Northern Ontario. Have you any idea how large the ridings here are now and how that impacts how well an MP can respond to their constituents? Do you know how far people have to travel to meet with their MP? Do you understand how weather impacts the North and our ability to travel in the winter months to government "hubs"? Restructuring will only make the Northern voice more difficult to hear all the way in Ottawa.

The consequences of having less representation in the north are very real. There will be less federal funding distributed to Northern Ontario ridings through programs such as Canada Summer Jobs, which benefit both local businesses and non-profit organizations, constituency offices will be more difficult to access, and communities will be divided.

The North already feels like the poor cousin and losing a seat in the restructure will be touted as another truth supporting that perspective.

I urge you to reconsider and travel across these ridings to see the difficulties this will introduce before you make any final decisions.

Sherry Barna