NDP MP Carol Hughes says she’ll continue highlighting what she and others regard as the downsides of reducing the number of Northern Ontario federal ridings by presenting an evolving petition in the House of Commons.
“This is a tactical decision so we can raise this issue on a number of occasions to continue to keep the issue alive,” a spokesman for Hughes’ office said on Friday.
Last week, Hughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing) presented the petition, which at that point contained “a few hundred signatures” of concerned citizens.
The petition is a response to a final report in 2023 by the Ontario Federal Electoral Boundary Commission, which reduced the number of Northern Ontario ridings to nine from 10.
In the reconfiguration, Hughes’ riding is being eliminated completely.
“The new boundaries and districts will be in effect for a federal general election called any time after April 22, 2024,” an Elections Canada spokesperson said on Monday.
Hughes announced earlier that she won’t be running in the next election, which may not be held until the fall of 2025.
The minority Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can survive non-confidence motions put forward by the Conservatives or the Bloc Quebecois until then, as long as it can count on enough votes from NDP MPs.
Regional Liberal MPs Patty Hajdu (Thunder Bay-Superior North) and Marcus Powlowski (Thunder Bay-Rainy River) didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the riding changes.
Though she isn’t seeking re-election, Hughes said she will advocate for the petitioners while she’s still an MP.
“The petitioners are looking to (the) House to respect the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1991 Carter decision, that states effective representation and good government in this country compel that factors other than voter parity, such as geography and community interests, be taken into account in setting electoral boundaries,” Hughes said in a statement.
Hughes was first elected in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing in 2008, after she defeated long-time Liberal MP Brent St. Denis.
