Gerrymandering is possible in the electoral boundaries redistribution, but also highly difficult, and if it is happening, it’s “very dangerous,” say government and opposition MPs.

“It would be possible, but it would require collusion on the part of the people appointed to the commission,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.). “Certainly, my experience with the British Columbia commission, where I’ve certainly paid more attention, is that couldn’t happen there. I’m doubtful it could happen in Saskatchewan.”

Ms. May said the calls in and of themselves are “neither illegal nor particularly wrong” as the commission’s job is to listen to the public.

“If you did have people showing up at the hearings and asking for different boundaries, that’s the commissioner’s job, to listen to the public’s concerns. So if there was political posturing to say, Get out there and tell them you want to move into this riding so we can tilt it enough to have the conservatives benefit,’ that’s not, unless those calls are paid for by taxpayers dollars; that’s not illegal, that’s just you know, stirring up your troops to say, We want the boundaries here instead of there,’ ” she told The Hill Times.

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Ms. Wai Young: Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the comments of the member opposite and assure her, as I said in my speech, that, indeed, the commission would be independent and impartial.

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First, just for historical fun, it turns out that the term “gerrymandering” is as old as the War of 1812. It occurred in the state of Massachusetts when Governor Elbridge Gerry managed to redistribute a riding so it resembled nothing so much as a salamander.

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As we add MPs, we are adding costs. I think the Canadian people are more concerned with the costs of this place than whether we have our own desks.

Would it be possible to have a formula by which current members of Parliament accepted reductions to their own salaries as we added new members to this place?

Joe Preston: Mr. Speaker, I will pass on the message that the member requires no salary to the Board of Internal Economy.

The rest of us came here to do a job and we were sent here as equals, as equal members of Parliament, all 308 of us. Some of the members from Ontario represent 170,000 and some of the members in the House represent less than that. If there is an inequality, we need to fix that part first.

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I am so proud to represent the people of Saanich—Gulf Islands and I am sure he will be as distressed as I am by that party’s transparent plan for gerrymandering in hopes of winning the riding back. They write, “If you lose South of MacKenzie, lose the Gulf Islands, lose Gordon Head, if you removed all these three areas, we would have won the last election”

Will the minister reassure us that the redistribution will be by population and not by population of Conservative voters?

Hon. Peter Van Loan: Mr. Speaker, the statute is quite clear. It sets out a process for redistribution that is run on a non-partisan basis by independent commissions. Those will be under way in the appropriate time.

Under our legislation, we will ensure that there is a formula in place that ensures people of Saanich—Gulf Islands–or of British Columbia, in fact, and all of Canada–will have the fair representation that has long been denied to them.

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