Commentaire 140 – commentaires et rétroaction

Stephanie Deschenes

I'm writing to request that you reconsider the proposed redistribution of the ridings in Northern Ontario. Most of my life has been spent in the North, living in both rural and urban areas. I have also spent time living in areas of Southern and Eastern Ontario and I can assure you that there are striking challenges to how this region can be governed.

First and foremost, the geographic distances that an MP must travel to meet with constituents is substantial. In the remotest parts of this province, access is available by air or winter road only. These areas are also less likely to have reliable internet service, so virtual meetings are not an adequate answer for dealing with distance.

The distances also mean that there are vastly different needs from one area to the next. To truly appreciate what an MP is required to do to represent this region, I encourage you to travel one of these ridings for yourself to get a true picture of both the geographic challenges and the distinctiveness of the communities within the ridings.

Yours truly

Stephanie Deschenes