Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts 2012

[Smid]

Masson-Angers and Buckhingham aren't in the Gatineau riding, they're in the Pontiac riding.

Currently, yes. Hmm. Mathieu Ravignat does have a riding office there, in Buckingham. Redistributed Pontiac has a notional NDP majority of 21.37%, while Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation has 21.75%. Argenteuil--Papineau--Mirabel had only a 15.31% NDP majority. I don't suppose Ravignat would prefer Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation. My point is, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation is a good riding. New Mirabel has a notional NDP majority of 18.53%, but that would be shallow support. Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation looks like a prize worth fighting over.

That may be true based on last election's figures, however it would be dangerous for any NDP MP to simply do the maths when picking the seat in which they are going to run next election. They need to focus on their constituencies and build up a personal following, so that if the tide goes out, they're not taking the seat for granted. Last election was a tsunami - the ridings are not safe simply based on the last election figures. Things could change very quickly.

[Wilfred Day]

Masson-Angers and Buckhingham aren't in the Gatineau riding, they're in the Pontiac riding.

Currently, yes. Hmm. Mathieu Ravignat does have a riding office there, in Buckingham. Redistributed Pontiac has a notional NDP majority of 21.37%, while Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation has 21.75%. Argenteuil--Papineau--Mirabel had only a 15.31% NDP majority. I don't suppose Ravignat would prefer Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation. My point is, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation is a good riding. New Mirabel has a notional NDP majority of 18.53%, but that would be shallow support. Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation looks like a prize worth fighting over.

That may be true based on last election's figures, however it would be dangerous for any NDP MP to simply do the maths when picking the seat in which they are going to run next election. They need to focus on their constituencies and build up a personal following, so that if the tide goes out, they're not taking the seat for granted. Last election was a tsunami - the ridings are not safe simply based on the last election figures. Things could change very quickly.

Quite right. Mirabel would be harder for Freeman to build up a personal following, since only 58% of it comes from her present riding, while 70% of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation comes from her present riding. Furthermore, Mirabel is totally suburban, with small centres in Saint-Augustin (6,190), Saint-Canut (5,218), and (not in her present riding) Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines (10,890). Otherwise, we're looking at suburbs west of Deux-Montagnes or west of Blainville.

But the new 30% of Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation is from Pontiac in the Outaouais, and all of it is in the Gatineau metropolitan area. A whole new base with its own community character, and more settled politics (before the orange wave, the two Gatineau ridings were top-rank NDP targets.) Will Mathieu Ravignat start building Freeman up as his successor in Masson-Angers, Buckingham, L’Ange-Gardien, and Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette? I wouldn't take that for granted if I were her.

[MaxQue]

Ravignat comes fron Cantley, so I suppose he will stay in the riding containing it.

[Hatman 🍁]

Yes, not to mention a good strong base of Anglo hipsters in Cantley, Chelsea and Wakefield.

[Krago]

Three new amended electoral boundaries reports are out today.  Ontario is still outstanding.

British Columbia
Quebec
Saskatchewan

[MaxQue]

Saskatchewan apparently held its ground.

[Hatman 🍁]

Not many changes, as expected. Some truly awful names though. Disappointed that no one had the balls to contest the Chomedey area riding being named "Vimy".

Some other terrible names:

Cloverdale-Langley City (sounds like a 19th century riding)
Centre du Bas-Saint-Laurent (way to generic; I would've rather they at least went with a longer convoluted name.)

[MaxQue]

In Quebec, all names changes were accepted, even when the Commission was not agreeing with it, because it wasn'r worth it, since MPs changed the names last time.

They should have resisted. "Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent" is terrible in French and even more in English.

[MaxQue]

Not many changes, as expected. Some truly awful names though. Disappointed that no one had the balls to contest the Chomedey area riding being named "Vimy".

Vimy isn't even in Vimy! (Vimy is in France, in Pas-de-Calais-2, exactly).

[Hatman 🍁]

Interestingly, the Quebec commission decided for ridings with long names, each place would be listed alphabetical. This is a terrible idea. The largest part should be listed first.

Also, why did they go with "Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent"? It has the same boundaries as the current Rimouski-Neigette--Témiscouata--Les Basques (technically 3 MRCs). Also, they've given the neighbouring riding a really long name (Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapedia). One issue with that riding that they've ignored is that "Matane" changed its name to "Matanie" a few months ago.

[MaxQue]

Interestingly, the Quebec commission decided for ridings with long names, each place would be listed alphabetical. This is a terrible idea. The largest part should be listed first.

Also, why did they go with "Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent"? It has the same boundaries as the current Rimouski-Neigette--Témiscouata--Les Basques (technically 3 MRCs). Also, they've given the neighbouring riding a really long name (Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapedia). One issue with that riding that they've ignored is that "Matane" changed its name to "Matanie" a few months ago.

Matane = City, Matanie = MRC.
Anyways, they were clear in their report. Sinc eht MPs decided to overule the commission last time by altering, they accepted all proposed names since they figured they would be changed anyways.

[Hatman 🍁]

If they wanted Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent to be shorter, they could have gone with "Rimouski-Temiscouta" or just dropped Neigette from the name (Rimouski-Temiscouata-Les Basques).  Before MRC reform, the Rimouski area was in Rimouski County (no Neigette). And, they still use the old county names in many ridings.

On a similar note, here are some suggestions based on the old ridings:

Avignon-La Mitis-Matapedia-Matane-Matapedia -> Matapedia-Matane(-Avignon)
Gaspesie-Iles de la Madeleine (not a bad name per se) -> Gaspe-Bonaventure-Iles de la Madeleine
Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Levis -> Levis-Bellechasse-Dorchester
Megantic-L'Erable -> Frontenac-Megantic
Levis-Lotbiniere -> Lotbiniere-Levis
Becancour-Nicolet-Saurel -> Nicolet-Yamaska-Richelieu
Saint-Jean -> Saint-Jean--Iberville
Chatueauguay-Lacolle -> Chateauguay-Napierville
Salaberry-Surot -> Beauharnois--Huntingdon--Soulanges
Soulanges-Vaudreuil -> Vaudreuil--Soulanges (or just Vaudreuil)
Mirabel -> Deux-Montagnes (or Mirabel--Deux-Montagnes)
Argenteuil--La Petite Nation -> Argenteuil--Papineau
Pontiac -> Pontiac--Gatineau

[MaxQue]

Some of your proposals aren't good. Suroît is a very good name.

[Hatman 🍁]

Some of your proposals aren't good. Suroît is a very good name.

Why? I've never heard the term.

[MaxQue]

Some of your proposals aren't good. Suroît is a very good name.

Why? I've never heard the term.

Suroît refers to the area covered by the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges (through, not really Vaudreuil area), Beauharnois-Salaberry and Haut-Saint-Laurent.

The western Montérégie, in short. It's used by various things, including a tourism board and an health authority. Its use was quite limited until a few years (I suppose than the failed project of the Suroît power plant helped to publicize it).

[Hatman 🍁]

Learn something new everyday. Why not name the whole riding just "Suroit" then? Salaberry appears to be in it, making the name redundant.

[MaxQue]

Learn something new everyday. Why not name the whole riding just "Suroit" then? Salaberry appears to be in it, making the name redundant.

Salaberry is barely used as a place name. We say Valleyfield, usually.

Salaberry refers to the historical character, instead, which has links to the area. Like Boucher in Boucher-Les Patriotes-Verchères.

[Hatman 🍁]

Not very historical, I'd say, considering the former county is Beauharnois. It's also needlessly redundant- and there's no real need for historical names anyways.

[MaxQue]

Not very historical, I'd say, considering the former county is Beauharnois. It's also needlessly redundant- and there's no real need for historical names anyways.

No, historical, as in Charles-Michel de Salaberry, leader of a French Canadian militia during the War of 1812 and hero of the Battle of Chateauguay.

[Hatman 🍁]

You know I hate ridings named after people.

Anyways, turning to Saskatchewan now. I hate how the province has no counties to get name inspirations from, but how about school divisions? (http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/Provincial_map-BW)  Saskatchewan has some "fun sounding" school division names that would be good riding names:

Souris-Moose Mountain -> Cornerstone
Cypress Hills-Grasslands -> Chinook
Regina-Qu'Appelle -> Regina-Prairie Valley-Horizon
Yorkton-Melville -> Good Spirit
Humboldt-Warman-Martensville-Rosetown -> Prairie Spirit
Battlefords-Lloydminster -> Living Sky
Prince Albert -> Saskatchewan Rivers
Desenthe-Missinippi-Churchill River -> Northern Lights


That just leaves Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan which doesn't neatly correspond to any school division

[Hatman 🍁]

I'd be a hypocrite to suggest naming the riding "Diefenbaker" right? I would be naming it after the lake of course, which is partly in the riding . Also he represented the area for some of his career

[Hatman 🍁]

Well, thanks to the new SK borders, 2 Tory MPs have announced they'll be running in rural seats that will be vacated, rather than run in the new urban ridings that make up most of their current ridings. Also, Nettie Wiebe and Noah Evanchuk have announced they will be running in the two new NDP friendly ridings.

[Wilfred Day]

. . why did they go with "Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent"? It has the same boundaries as the current Rimouski-Neigette--Témiscouata--Les Basques (technically 3 MRCs).

Its MP Guy Caron proposed it and is happy with it: "la Commission a également retenu l’amendement du député proposant le nom de Centre-du-Bas-Saint-Laurent à la circonscription.
« Je suis heureux de l’adoption d’un nom géographiquement exact, plus court que le nom actuel, plus inclusif que le nom proposé par les commissaires et qui a fait l’objet d’un consensus de la part des trois MRC » a conclu M. Caron.
http://guycaron.npd.ca/carte-electorale-federale-le-depute-guy-caron-accueille-favorablement-le-rapport-des-commissaires

[Wilfred Day]

British Columbia

I have never read a more anguished statement in a boundaries report:
"The Commission is not insensible to the dissatisfaction of a number of MPs and constituents with portions of the North Vancouver and Burnaby—Douglas districts being joined in a newly configured district. We also take note of the Committee's comment that there are compelling reasons for not having a riding span the Burrard Inlet. . . In the end, all we can say concerning this reconfigured electoral district is that the commissioners have spent much time and thought on what to do in this area, having regard to our mandate of doing the best we can province-wide. We have listened with sympathy and appreciation to the cogently expressed objections to this reconfiguration from several sources, but we are ultimately unable to arrive at any disposition that we consider to be a better one. The configuration of this electoral district has certainly posed one of our most difficult challenges."

But they don't explain why the Lillooet--Ashcroft--Cache Creek area is better connected to Abbotsford and Mission than it is to West Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler.

[Krago]

That just leaves Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan which doesn't neatly correspond to any school division

What about "Smells Like Teen Spirit"?