(Quebec) Pascal Bérubé does not hide his anger. Removing a constituency in the Gaspé Peninsula would have the effect of significantly increasing the territory of other elected officials in the region and would be neither more nor less dangerous. ” That does not make any sense ! “, he proclaims.
On the first day Tuesday of a parliamentary commission which this week will hear deputies from all political parties comment on the proposal to update the electoral map, the tone was alarming.
As provided for in the Electoral law, the Commission on Electoral Representation presented, last fall, a revised electoral map, which would be put in place for the next general election, in 2026. The proposal removes one constituency from Gaspésie and another from Montreal. It also adds a constituency in the Laurentians and another in Centre-du-Québec, in order to take into account demographics and population movements.
In Gaspésie, the Commission proposes to merge the constituencies of Gaspé and Bonaventure. Matane-Matapédia would also have one foot in Bas-Saint-Laurent and the other in the peninsula.
For current PQ MP Pascal Bérubé, this proposal makes “no sense”. He recalled that the roads in his constituency – in winter, among other things – can be dangerous. Some areas are not served by a cellular connection. A deputy who would like to be present for his citizens, in different activities, would have to travel hundreds of kilometers at the risk of his health.
“We are putting our safety at stake on the roads, our health at stake. […] It will become untenable if it comes to fruition,” he said.
Should the law be changed?
Pascal Bérubé recalled Tuesday that the government could propose a modification to the Electoral law in order to grant exceptional status to Gaspésie, as exists for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. In an interview with local media MaGaspésie.ca, the CAQ MP for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, also affirmed that Quebec could ultimately modify the law.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The CAQ deputy for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix.
“That said, this is one of the potential scenarios, but we will complete the administrative process. We are going to make some necessary performances in the next week. We will wait for the report to be submitted. At the same time, we will discuss strategies at the caucus level to arrive at the most sustainable solution possible for the entire representative body. Today, we’re talking about Gaspésie. Tomorrow, we will talk about other regions of Quebec,” said Mr. Sainte-Croix.
During his preliminary remarks to the parliamentary committee on Tuesday, the minister responsible for democratic institutions, Jean-François Roberge, however qualified these remarks.
“Several calls to modify the Electoral law were launched. […] I heard them, and I understand them. However, I am convinced that at this stage we must see the current process through to the end,” he said.
“Whatever happens, in the end, there will be criticism,” added Mr. Roberge.
MPs united for Gaspésie
In his introductory remarks, Pascal Bérubé also called on the president of the Electoral Representation Commission, Jean-François Blanchet, to remind him of a unanimous motion adopted last October at the Salon bleu.
The text of the motion indicates that “any loss of political weight suffered by our Quebec regions endangers democratic health” and that the commission must “ [réviser] its recommendation to merge the constituencies of Gaspé and Bonaventure.” “I would think you would be very rash not to take this into account,” he said.
For his part, Mr. Blanchet reminded parliamentarians that the commission was listening to the criticisms made by elected officials and citizens. In particular, over the last few months, it has held public consultations across the four corners of Quebec, where more than 600 people testified.
At the end of the parliamentary commission, a second report will be tabled in parliament in September 2024. This will decide on the issues raised since the submission of the preliminary report and will establish, in the weeks following its submission, the next electoral map of the Quebec.
If the commission does not modify its initial proposal, Montreal will once again lose the riding – as was the case during the last revision of the map, in 2017 – while the riding of Anjou–Louis-Riel will be deleted and that its territory will be divided between the current electoral divisions of Camille-Laurin, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Rosemont, which would become Rosemont–Louis-Riel.
North of Montreal, in the Basses-Laurentides, the Commission proposes to create a new electoral district, Bellefeuille, very close to Mirabel and Saint-Jérôme. In Centre-du-Québec, the new riding of Marie-Lacoste–Gérin-Lajoie would be created near the current ridings of Saint-Hyacinthe and Drummond–Bois-Francs.