Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If our Electoral Boundaries Commission has its way, my Deh Cho riding will not exist in the next election. It will be folded into a large group of far-off communities. This is true of every proposal made by the Boundaries Commission.
This is unjust. It may comply with the cold, hard numbers a court suggested as standards for the composition of a riding, but this is a classic example of how the numbers do not tell the true story.
Even now, Members who live in Yellowknife are fairly quickly available to their constituents most of the time. But an MLA with many isolated communities in his or her riding has little time to visit them all. We spend half the year in Yellowknife away from home. For example, we’ve been here for about five weeks, in addition to our other business travel.
The proposal for 18 ridings would shift the Hay River Reserve into the Hay River North district. It also eliminates the Tu Nedhe riding. The result would leave the rest of the communities now in the Deh Cho riding with Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti.
I am pleased to say that many people in these small communities only speak their first language. However, there are three Dene languages in the proposed riding. It is very unlikely that any MLA would speak them all. There are also three Dene land claims covering this riding, and Metis claims as well. There are also competing interests in claims among these groups. The MLA’s ability to represent them all would be seriously impaired.
That same riding as is proposed, if there are 19 seats in the Assembly as there are now, once the lines are moved, most of the people of the Deh Cho would end up in the riding with three Monfwi and Tu Nedhe communities. However, the Hay River Reserve would still be moving to the Hay River North. Cultural difference seems to have been ignored.
The Boundaries Commission has also suggested adding two seats, for a total of 21 ridings. That is near the Deh Cho communities, including the Hay River Reserve, will be linked up with the three small Monfwi communities. People in my riding do not see wisdom in this. The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife’s boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife’s boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but these votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented. I think anyone who knows NWT would say no, and emphatically no at that.
I don’t know if there are any ways to improve on these proposals, but I cannot support the choices offered by the Boundaries Commission. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
