The Commission de la représentation électorale's proposed redrawing of the provincial electoral map for the Beauharnois riding is far from unanimous among the elected representatives whose municipalities are affected. Interviews with Bernard Daoust, Peter Zytynsky, Andrée Brosseau and Miguel Lemieux. 

As currently proposed, the Beauharnois riding would include the municipalities of Pointe-des-Cascades, Les Cèdres and Coteau-du-Lac, which are currently part of the Soulanges riding. In return, the municipalities of Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague and Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka would be transferred to the neighboring riding of Huntingdon. 

This solution is incomprehensible to the mayors of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges municipalities concerned. 

"I hope we won't be integrated into the Beauharnois riding. It would be special because Les Cèdres is one of the first municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges to have been created in the late 1700s and early 1800s. On a day-to-day basis, we work on projects in conjunction with the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. One of our major joint initiatives is the protection of the Soulanges Canal. For me, this solution stems from a proposal based purely on mathematics. In reality, it makes no sense and is not based on our day-to-day reality," says Mayor Bernard Daoust, who has held the seat since November 2021. 

By way of example, he points out that Les Cèdres has nothing in common with the other municipalities in Beauharnois County. "We are members of the CMM, and most of them are not. We have to adhere to the CMM and MRC development plans, as well as being crossed by highways 20, 30 and 40. Our only link to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is the river shuttle. If this reorganization were to go ahead, it would fragment the territory of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC, which is the very basis of our identity. It would have an impact on so many things," he illustrates.

Listening to the population 

For his part, Peter Zytynsky, mayor of Pointe-des-Cascades, agreed with the Commission de la représentation électorale at the Hôtel Moco in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on Monday, November 6. 

"For my part, as mayor of a municipality of 1,800 souls, it's my role to listen to my population. What do my citizens want? To stay in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC and in the current riding. They don't want change, they want the status quo. The majority of the population are seniors, and they don't want us to be transferred to the Beauharnois riding and stay together in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC community." 

In closing, he said he understood that the Commission de la représentation électorale bases its decisions on numbers. "I'm sure you'll find another solution. As Claude Reid used to say, "if it's not broken, don't fix it." 

A solution devoid of meaning 

Coteau-du-Lac mayor Andrée Brosseau says the new redistribution makes no sense. "Our municipalities (Les Cèdres, Pointe-des-Cascades and Coteau-du-Lac) are linked by a common project: the Soulanges Canal. On the economic and tourism front, we often work with DEV Vaudreuil-Soulanges to develop our industrial park. On the tourism front, we also work with a local resource. What would we do if we found ourselves in a neighboring county?" ​​​​​​​

She admits she doesn't understand the rationale behind the proposal. "Pointe-des-Cascades and Les Cèdres are part of the CMM, but we're not. The municipality of Les Coteaux will remain part of Soulanges, but we won't? It's going to be hard to move forward with joint projects if we have to have two MPs," she says. 

An exercise to be repeated in 4 years? 

Miguel Lemieux, mayor of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and prefect of the Beauharnois-Salaberry RCM, was also available to comment on the issue, and had a lot to say about what he saw as a senseless proposal. 

"The growth forecasts on which the Commission de la représentation électorale is basing its redistribution are erroneous and do not take reality into account. According to our forecasts, we will need 59 new primary classes in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield by 2027, while Beauharnois will need 31. In terms of schools, we would need to build 4 new elementary school to meet the anticipated growth.One is currently under construction on our territory, so three more will be needed. However, redistricting is planned on the basis of the current population, not the projected one," he confides. 

What does he think of the proposal put forward by the Commission de la représentation électorale for the Beauharnois riding? "We've had a lot of contact with the City of Coteau-du-Lac since I took office to settle certain issues. But our relations with Pointe-des-Cascades and Les Cèdres are weak or non-existent.What's more, the Ville de Beauharnois and the Municipalité de Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois would now be in two different ridings, which makes no sense, just like Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague and Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, with which we are linked by a bridge," he maintains. 

The chief magistrate is categorical: if the division of his city into two, as is the case for Vaudreuil-Dorion in the new scenario proposed by the Commission de la représentation électorale, were imposed on him, he would not be happy.In his view, proposing the changes envisaged for the redrawing of the provincial electoral map not only distorts the current territory, but does not solve the problem. 

"If the Commission proceeds with the desired changes, we'll have to start all over again in four years' time, because our population won't be the same.Why not add five more ridings in Quebec to balance things out? It wouldn't make much difference to the provincial government's budget.We should put the matter on ice to study other possibilities and get a good picture of the situation," says the man who began his career as a political attaché at the provincial level. 

In his opinion, this change would make life more difficult for the towns involved."We'd have five MPs, two federal, three provincial, two school service centers and three prefects.Yet we could travel from one end of the riding to the other in 20 minutes.For the Huntingdon riding, the proposal would include part of the Ville de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. As far as Dundee, at the far end of the riding, it would take 2? hours by car. It would be unmanageable! 

In closing, Mr. Lemieux points out that, in his opinion, "we should wait before making a definitive redistribution, given the ongoing growth of the regional population.It would avoid starting all over again in four years' time."