Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Special Committee on PEI’s Electoral Boundaries Published by the Order of the Hon. Greg Deighan, Speaker Date of Hearing: Tuesday 21 March 2006 Meeting Status: Public Locations: Elmsdale Community Centre; Linkletter Inn, Summerside Subjects: Public hearings on the Report of the PEI Electoral Boundaries Commission, chaired by Honourable Justice John A. McQuaid, report dated 5 October 2004, and the advisability of adopting fixed provincial election dates Committee: Jim Bagnall (Chair), MLA Montague-Kilmuir Cletus Dunn, MLA Alberton-Miminegash Helen MacDonald, MLA St. Eleanors-Summerside Elmer MacFadyen, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Guests: Gerard LeClair; Reg Harper; Ronnie Costain; Diane Doyle; Eileen McCarthy; James Diamond; Lloyd Gavin; Dennis Gallant; Wade Stetson; Margaret Adams; Alan Graham; Pat Murphy; John Curtis; Lorraine Robinson; Elmer Williams; Ross Harrington; Greg Guptill Staff: Marian Johnston, Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees Edited by Hansard Electoral Boundaries 8 March 2006 The Committee met at 1:00 p.m. requires a commission to review districts of the province, and make a report to the Elmsdale Community Centre Legislative Assembly setting out its recommendations as to the area, boundaries Chair (Bagnall): Good afternoon, ladies and names of the districts of the province; and gentlemen. It’s 1:00. We are a Special Committee on Prince Edward Island’s AND WHEREAS the final report of the Electoral Boundaries. We are here by a PEI Electoral Boundaries Commission has motion of the House, of the Legislative been received by the Speaker; Assembly, requesting that a special committee tour and visit communities to AND WHEREAS the report makes deal with the electoral boundaries that came recommendations which require out in the McQuaid Report. consultation; What we’re here to do today as a committee THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that a is to listen. We’re here to listen to all your Special Committee of this House be concerns. If you have concerns with the way established to be called the Special the boundaries have been drawn up or any Committee on Prince Edward Island’s concerns at all with the McQuaid Report, Electoral Boundaries; we’re here to listen, and if you have recommendations, we’re here to listen to THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER those also. RESOLVED that this committee be comprised of six members, two to be named So I’m going to ask the Clerk of by the Leader of the Opposition, four to be Committees, Marian Johnston, if she would named by the Premier; read the motion so everyone would know what the motion was, and also, on fixed AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER elections. We’re going to be taking any RESOLVED that this Assembly request the comments and citizens’ concerns on fixed Special Committee on Prince Edward election periods, too. We’re looking for Island’s Electoral Boundaries meet to some input from the public on how you feel receive opinion and report back to this about fixed elections. We’re, again, here to House with recommendations. listen and that’s basically what this Committee is here to do. The second motion that the Chair has asked me to read is regarding fixed election dates: With that, I will ask the Clerk of Committees to read the motion that’s on the WHEREAS the Special Committee on floor, Motion No. 20, and if you would Prince Edward Island’s Electoral proceed, please. Boundaries is currently in the process of organizing a schedule of public Clerk of Committees: Thank you, Mr. consultations to receive opinions on the Chairman. issue of electoral boundaries: It was moved by the hon. Premier, seconded THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that by the hon. Provincial Treasurer, the this committee expand these hearings in following Motion: order to gather public input into the desirability of establishing fixed election WHEREAS section 9 of the Electoral dates on Prince Edward Island. Boundaries Act R.S.P.E.I. 1988 Cap. E-2.1 1 Electoral Boundaries 8 March 2006 Chair: You’ve heard both of the motions, rural PEI. We will see the uniqueness and so we’re prepared to listen to presentations historical aspects of communities such as this afternoon. I notice that our first two Tignish, Alberton, O’Leary, and Tyne presentations that were scheduled have not Valley swallowed up into the bland spaces shown up yet, and I was wondering if of these huge ridings. Communities of West Gerard LeClair, if you’re prepared to move Prince, they’ve always worked will with one ahead on the schedule? another while maintaining their independence, and I feel that this will end up Gerard LeClair: Committee members, pitting one against the other as each seeks ladies and gentlemen. government investment and/or assistance. I guess you’d pretty well say I was fairly We continue to have substantial growth in anxious to present my comments and my the urban areas of PEI, namely presentation. I showed up a day early. I was Charlottetown and Summerside, and I here yesterday afternoon, and I hope that believe that this is where the push for these you don’t take into account my lack of changes comes from. Now while this may be ability to take in directions or details and true, the report has failed to see where a lot don’t pre-judge my report as someone not of this growth comes from. It is from the being able to follow directions. economic impact of our rural economy. The economic engines of our Island economy are Chair: The only thing I would ask, we’re rural industries such as farming, fishing, taping here for the Hansard. There are no tourism, and it’s the fishermen, the farmers, speakers for anybody behind you to hear, so plant workers and tourism operators that are if you could speak up when doing your coming to Summerside and Charlottetown to presentation so people will be able to hear, purchase their wares. It’s people from I’d appreciate it. Tignish, Miminegash, Kildare, Anglo, Portage, Rustico that are coming to the cities Gerard LeClair: I think that’s the very first and spurring the growth of these cities. time anybody told me to speak up. Most time it’s to keep quiet. Does this warrant losing their democratic voice at home? Why should I have to lose I’d like to thank the Committee for the my political impact as a citizen of PEI? Why opportunity to once again participate in this does my rural voice have to be lessened for democratic process. I gave a presentation the sake of urban Prince Edward Island? earlier on and my presentation today won’t These changes proposed are significant and entail many details, but it’s more from the I feel that they will have catastrophic heart and how I feel. implications in rural PEI and that we should not change just for the sake of change. I’d like to address a number of areas of concern to me in regards to the McQuaid Then you may ask also if I have a problem Report on Electoral Boundaries. My biggest with having a special electoral district for concern is the attempt to have zero percent the Evangeline area because of the variance in the ridings across the Island. uniqueness of that area. Well, ladies and This concern has many negative gentlemen, no, I do not. All I’m asking for, implications for rural Islanders. or from you, is that you will also take into account the uniqueness of Tignish, Palmer With the increase in the size of rural ridings Road, Skinner’s Pond, Kildare, Cascumpec, that are being proposed, we will see the Alberton, Elmsdale, Portage, Tyne Valley erosion of the autonomy of communities in and all areas in between. 2 Electoral Boundaries 8 March 2006 Do not erode our voice in the democratic great? Is that correct? process. I ask you to maintain the present representation in rural PEI. I ask you to Gerard LeClair: I mean, in order to allow consider using a variance of at least 15 to those ridings in the urban areas to come into 20% to allow this to happen. This will allow fruition, that means that the voters are going these communities of interest in rural PEI to to have to come from somewhere. I mean, remain intact and to maintain their unique based in a rural area, that means that those identity. Myself, for example, living in rural ridings are going to have to increase. Kildare, as opposed to rural areas or other They’re going to have to increase in size, parts of the Island, have only an MLA to and thus you’ll have, give or take, whatever represent my concerns to the province, variance there is within the voters. It’s the whereas other individuals have their geographical area that has my biggest municipal governments to fight for them. concern. I ask you not to water down that voice for The point that I was trying to stress is that me and do not water down the impact of my where you may have O’Leary and Alberton, vote here in rural PEI. for example, in close proximity in the ridings or whatnot, they would tend to Thank you. maybe lose their uniqueness and independence as a voice. You just take one Chair: Thank you very much. issue, for example, healthcare and hospitals and that. Any member have any questions or concerns? The hon. Elmer MacFadyen. But, that’s, like I said, you only have so many voters to go around and I mean, if Mr.