As part of the public hearing held this Tuesday at the MOCO Hotel in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Marie-Claude Nichols and Marilyne Picard, MNAs for Vaudreuil and Soulanges, were keen to express their views on the electoral map redistribution proposed by the Commission de la représentation électorale (CRE) and presented in the preliminary report tabled last September.

The nearly 200-page report puts forward various solutions to counter the imbalance in the number of electors per electoral division. 

Among these solutions, the CRE proposes including part of the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion and the municipalities of Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac and L'Île-Cadieux in the Soulanges riding. 

The CRE also suggests transferring the municipalities of Pointe-des-Cascades, Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac to the Beauharnois electoral division. As a result, Beauharnois would also see its map redrawn.

These solutions are strongly criticized by both municipal and provincial elected officials.

"The commission is suggesting that the three counties be merged, which at first glance seems like a solution. But personally, I see it as an ineffective solution, or at least a very temporary one," explained Marie-Claude Nichols, independent MNA for Vaudreuil.

For Ms. Nichols, the proposal to split the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion seems illogical and would be a source of complications.

"It would be confusing for citizens, but also for elected officials. Separating the city would mean that the mayor would have to deal with more than one deputy, and city councillors would have to deal with different deputies depending on their district. This situation is unavoidable for cities like Montreal, but Vaudreuil is a region. We're not Montreal. The people who live here have a sense of belonging to their region, their mayor, their elected officials. It's incomprehensible for citizens to split the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion in two," she adds. 

Marilyne Picard, MNA for Soulanges, agrees.

"I understand that the members of the commission have a challenge ahead of them in terms of the rapid demographic growth of the Vaudreuil and Soulanges ridings. It is clear that the commissioners have a duty to respect the electoral law and that the commission's mandate is to provide for a surplus of 25% of voters in the same riding. I sincerely believe that the proposal included in the preliminary report does not correspond at all to the reality of citizens' sense of belonging, without overlooking the geographical, tourist and historical reality of our region," she explained. 

Respect for natural boundaries

Like the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the MNA for Vaudreuil reminded the commissioners of the importance of respecting natural boundaries.

"On paper, it's easy to transfer a territory from one riding to another, to redraw all that, pardon the expression, but it's like changing four and a half cents for a penny. I'm not sure it's going to be very efficient at the end of the day ". 

Ms. Nichols also recalled that in 2017, when the electoral map was last redrawn, the idea of splitting the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion had also been discussed. Obviously, the project did not see the light of day. Only the Town of Hudson changed riding to join the ranks of Soulanges.

"I'd like to make the point about natural communities. Vaudreuil is more urbanized than Soulanges, we have different realities and this is one of the interests you are basing your proposals on. I think it should be a priority to respect natural boundaries.  I invite the commissioners to think about this and consider that, with the proposal, on one side of a street, citizens will be in Vaudreuil county and on the other, they'll be in Soulanges. It's going to be confusing. The aim is also to cause as little confusion as possible for voters. I ask you to take natural boundaries into account. If there are decisions to be made, let's make them for an entire population, i.e. for an entire town or municipality, but let's not divide any town or community".

The Soulanges Canal excluded from its riding?

Another proposal put forward by the CRE is to transfer the municipalities of Pointe-des-Cascades, Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac to Beauharnois. 

If this suggestion were to pass, it would mean that three of the four municipalities crossed by the Soulanges Canal would no longer be in Soulanges County.

"It would be interesting for the commission to explain why the Soulanges Canal, and by extension the historic heart of the Soulanges seigneury, would be excluded from the Soulanges riding. The current proposal will definitely confuse citizens. This confusion could lead to complex situations for MNAs and their staff who provide direct services to the population," questioned the Soulanges MNA.

According to Ms. Picard, the communities of Coteau-du-Lac, Les Cèdres and Pointe-des-Cascades have no historical connection with the development of the Beauharnois riding. 

"Their membership of the Soulanges constituency and their attraction in terms of service to Vaudreuil-Dorion make them an entity quite separate from that of Beauharnois," added Ms. Picard.

Could we be witnessing the creation of a new riding?

Although the current electoral law stipulates that a maximum of 125 ridings is possible, the idea of revising this law to allow for the creation of another riding, notably on the Vaudreuil-Soulanges territory, seems inevitable to some stakeholders.

This is also the case for the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM, which in its brief proposed the creation of an electoral division made up of Île Perrot and the area around the former town of Dorion.

"Given the growth in the number of voters since the last redistribution, we find ourselves in a situation of imbalance between districts. According to the commission's work, this overflow of voters is insufficient to justify the creation of a new electoral division at the present time. But, if the surplus of voters is not sufficient as of today, and the demographic trend continues, there is every reason to believe that in the future, a new electoral division could be added to the surplus," emphasized Marilyne Picard.

Finally, the MNA for Soulanges recommends putting the proposed redistribution on hold.

"When we look at the current situation, we see that all three ridings (Vaudreuil, Soulanges and Beauharnois) comply with the electoral law. Although there is an imbalance between the ridings, I believe that respect for natural communities must be taken into account, and that the Commission's preliminary proposal is far more harmful to Suroît communities than a mathematical imbalance that will inevitably have to be corrected, given that growth rates are higher than the national average," concludes the MP.