Yesterday, Viviane Lapointe, MP for Sudbury and Chair of the Northern Ontario Caucus, presented to the Ontario Commission for the 2022 Federal Electoral District Redistribution.

The Proposal of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario was officially released in August with a proposal to decrease the number of federal ridings in northern Ontario from ten to nine.

MP Lapointe joined with all 10 northern Ontario Members of Parliament to voice concerns about the proposed changes. Chief among these concerns is the loss of an electoral district in the north and the creation of electoral boundaries that will be more challenging to serve.

At the very core of the MPs objections is the ability to serve constituents. Effective representation should ensure that MPs are accessible, and that residents have equal access to federal government services, regardless of where they live.

Further, northern Ontario has a geographically challenging and large land mass, dispersed populations, a large Francophone presence, and numerous Indigenous communities.

Lapointe further highlighted to the Commission the unique nature of the riding of Sudbury. The City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in the north and is the central hub for northern Ontario. The riding of Sudbury is a cohesive urban unit with areas of common interests related to representation.

Lapointe communicated to the commission, “I believe the Commission understood these urban communities of interests. I fully support the Commission’s proposed revisions for Sudbury. The proposal respects the urban nature of Sudbury and preserves these distinct qualities woven into our identity.”

If you would like to participate in the electoral boundary review process written submissions are being accepted by the Ontario Commission until October 29, 2022. Written submissions can be submitted by email or by mail.

• Email submissions can be sent to: [email protected]
• Mail submissions can be sent to: PO Box 37018 Southdale, London, Ontario, N6E 3T3

While the deadlines to submit notices of representation at the public hearings has passed, the Commission recently added an in-person public hearing in Thunder Bay on November 8, 2022 and are currently accepting public participation registration: Public participation – Ontario - Federal Electoral Districts Redistribution (redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca)