Re: Deadline day for objections to election map After reading the news about Memramcook-Tantramar I enjoyed talking to Lynn Gregan and updating my blog
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Wed, Mar 29, 2023 at 12:08 AM |
| To: Mike.Dawson@gnb.ca, "michelle.conroy" <michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>, "benoit.bourque" <benoit.bourque@gnb.ca>, Josh.O'Donnell@gnb.ca, claire.kelly-orozco@greenpartynb.ca, rachel.restigouchechaleur@gmail.com, "David.Coon" <David.Coon@gnb.ca>, "Mitton, Megan (LEG)" <megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)" <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "james.mockler" <james.mockler@gnb.ca>, "Holland, Mike (LEG)" <mike.holland@gnb.ca>, "richard.williams" <richard.williams@gnb.ca>, "Robert. Jones" <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, "Ross.Wetmore" <Ross.Wetmore@gnb.ca>, "robert.mckee" <robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, "Rene.Legacy" <Rene.Legacy@gnb.ca>, "robert.gauvin" <robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, "Dominic.Cardy" <Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca>, "andrea.anderson-mason" <andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca>, "jeff.carr" <jeff.carr@gnb.ca>, Bruce.Fitch@gnb.ca, Kathy.Bockus@gnb.ca, "Bill.Oliver" <Bill.Oliver@gnb.ca>, "Bill.Hogan" <Bill.Hogan@gnb.ca>, "Margo.Sheppard" <Margo.Sheppard@fredericton.ca>, "Margaret.Johnson" <Margaret.Johnson@gnb.ca>, "mary.wilson" <mary.wilson@gnb.ca>, "jill.green" <jill.green@gnb.ca>, "Tammy.Scott-Wallace" <Tammy.Scott-Wallace@gnb.ca>, "Gary.Crossman" <Gary.Crossman@gnb.ca>, "jacques.j.leblanc" <jacques.j.leblanc@gnb.ca>, "Glen.Savoie" <Glen.Savoie@gnb.ca> | |
| Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, amanda.wildeman@greenpartynb.ca, "Paul.Harpelle" <Paul.Harpelle@gnb.ca>, "Jacques.Poitras" <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, andre <andre@jafaust.com> | |
All parties in legislature agree to exempt Tantramar from riding size rule
Fast-tracked bill means 800 people in Cap-Acadie won’t be forced into majority anglophone constituency
The change will allow about 800 mostly francophone voters in the municipality of Cap-Acadie to avoid being forced into the overwhelmingly majority anglophone riding.
All MLAs in the legislature gave unanimous consent to allow the bill to go through all three readings.
The process, which normally requires several days, happened in less than five minutes and the bill will get royal assent and become law later this week.
"The great thing about our democracy is we have the opportunity to work together," said government house leader Glen Savoie.
"It's not always about being oppositional. There are times when we do have to work together, and this is one of them."
The
map in the final report by the independent commission shows the
Tantramar region with a section of Cap-Acadie included at the top. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap-Pelé Liberal MLA Jacques LeBlanc, whose riding includes Cap-Acadie, applauded the Progressive Conservative government for agreeing to the quick action.
"I want to commend the government [for bringing] this bill forward, and to see all parties give unanimous consent, it's a great day for democracy in this province," he said.
Provincial law requires the election map to be redrawn every 10 years by an independent commission to take into account shifting population numbers.
Ridings must be roughly equal in the number of voters, though the commission is allowed to deviate from that by 15 per cent to reflect "communities of interest" and by up to 25 per cent in "extraordinary circumstances."
'No latitude,' commission said
In its final report on March 13, the current commission said it couldn't avoid putting part of Cap-Acadie in Tantramar because otherwise, Tantramar would be 29 per cent below the average.
The commission said it had "no latitude" to deviate from the law but recommended the legislature pass a special bill to create an exception for Tantramar.
Savoie's legislation does exactly that, allowing the number of voters in the constituency to deviate by more than 25 per cent for this redistribution only.
The commission, which has until April 26 to consider last-minute objections to its proposed map, can now redraw it to keep Cap-Acadie entirely in LeBlanc's riding.
"This bill gives them the flexibility to do what they couldn't do before," Savoie said.
Not a precedent, minister says
The commission said in a statement that assuming the bill becomes law in time, it will "take its impact into consideration as it prepares its final report."
The minister said he did not expect the bill to create a precedent that would open the door to elected politicians meddling with the independent map-drawing process more often in the future.
"It's not something that I think you will see repeated very often because of the importance of independent commissions," he said.
"But in this particular case, where the commission actually mentioned it specifically in the report, that gave the legislative assembly, I feel, the space it needed to act."
LeBlanc said when the commission's report came out March 13, he wasn't sure the government would move fast enough to make the change before the new map had to take effect.
"I had hope, but I knew time was short and there was a lot of work to be done. But the work that had to be done was done."
Reconsideration needed
Once the commission considers a handful of objections and makes any final alterations, the map becomes law.
Memramcook-Tantramar Green MLA Megan Mitton said she was happy to see the legislature resolve the issue but said the entire redistribution process needs a reconsideration.
"Overall, we need to take a look more broadly at how the work of the commission happens, how those decisions are made, look at the legislation more broadly."
Savoie said there's no plan to do that but it could happen before the next required redistribution approximately a decade from now.
Memramcook will be separated from Tantramar and moved into a riding with Dieppe on the new map, a response to concerns there that francophone residents are a minority in the existing riding.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meagan Mitton to win her Seat in the last Election ??
She only squeaked out 11 votes to win.
Wonder what she thinks now that Memramcook is now
part of Dieppe Riding.
Re: Deadline day for communities, MLAs to file final objections to election map
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---------- Original message ----------
From: Amanda Wildeman <amanda.wildeman@greenpartynb.
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 02:53:34 -0700
Subject: Out of office / Hors du bureau Re: Deadline day for
communities, MLAs to file final objections to election map
To: david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Hello,
Thank you for your email. I am currently on leave from the Green Party of NB.
If this is a media request for Green MLAs David Coon, Megan Mitton or
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Bonjour,
Merci pour votre courriel. Je suis actuellement en congé du Parti
vert du Nouveau-Brunswick.
S'il s'agit d'une demande médiatique pour les députés verts David
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David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Tue, Mar 28, 2023 at 6:53 AM |
| To: Mike.Dawson@gnb.ca, "michelle.conroy" <michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>, "benoit.bourque" <benoit.bourque@gnb.ca>, Josh.O'Donnell@gnb.ca, claire.kelly-orozco@greenpartynb.ca, rachel.restigouchechaleur@gmail.com, "David.Coon" <David.Coon@gnb.ca>, "Mitton, Megan (LEG)" <megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)" <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, "kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "james.mockler" <james.mockler@gnb.ca>, "Holland, Mike (LEG)" <mike.holland@gnb.ca>, "richard.williams" <richard.williams@gnb.ca>, "Robert. Jones" <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, "Ross.Wetmore" <Ross.Wetmore@gnb.ca>, "robert.mckee" <robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, "Rene.Legacy" <Rene.Legacy@gnb.ca>, "robert.gauvin" <robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, "Dominic.Cardy" <Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca>, "andrea.anderson-mason" <andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca>, "jeff.carr" <jeff.carr@gnb.ca>, Bruce.Fitch@gnb.ca, Kathy.Bockus@gnb.ca, "Bill.Oliver" <Bill.Oliver@gnb.ca>, "Bill.Hogan" <Bill.Hogan@gnb.ca>, "Margo.Sheppard" <Margo.Sheppard@fredericton.ca>, "Margaret.Johnson" <Margaret.Johnson@gnb.ca>, "mary.wilson" <mary.wilson@gnb.ca>, "jill.green" <jill.green@gnb.ca>, "Tammy.Scott-Wallace" <Tammy.Scott-Wallace@gnb.ca>, "Gary.Crossman" <Gary.Crossman@gnb.ca> | |
| Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, amanda.wildeman@greenpartynb.ca, "Paul.Harpelle" <Paul.Harpelle@gnb.ca>, "Jacques.Poitras" <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, andre <andre@jafaust.com> | |
Tuesday, 28 March 2023 It's deadline day for communities, MLAs to file final objections to election map | |
It's deadline day for communities, MLAs to file final objections to election map
49 new ridings take effect in 30 days, whether commission makes last-minute tweaks or not
The map, released two weeks ago by an independent electoral boundaries commission, will go into effect in 30 days with or without any last-minute changes based on the objections.
Progressive Conservative, Liberal and Green MLAs all signed objections over the last few days, though the commission wouldn't provide a list.
"The commission will not be providing the media with the names of the individuals, groups or organization who file an objection to the final report," said spokesperson Paul Harpelle.
Harpelle pointed out that the last commission, in 2013, didn't identify who filed objections. The law doesn't require or prohibit the release of information on who submitted objections or which riding maps they were objecting to.
He said eight objections were filed as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, though the commission would accept others until midnight.
MLAs not confident objections will be heard
Southwest Miramichi-Bay du Vin PC MLA Mike Dawson confirmed he and colleague Michelle Conroy endorsed an objection by residents of Escuminac, Baie Sainte-Anne and Hardwicke who don't want to be moved into the riding of Kent North.
PC Michelle Conroy joined Dawson in opposing a change that would move several communities to Kent North. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
Dawson said the members of the commission ignored that sentiment in its final report so he was not optimistic they would listen now.
"I'd like to think they're going to look at it and do what's best for the voters and taxpayers," he said.
"Do I think they will? … If 600 or 800 letters aren't enough, my letter from me and Michelle, I can't see it being enough either."
Provincial law requires that the 49 electoral ridings be redrawn every 10 years to ensure they have a roughly equal number of voters after shifts in population.
After two rounds of public consultations and an initial map proposal, the commission issued a final report March 13.
Once that report is published, objections can be submitted for two weeks, but only if they're co-signed by at least two elected members of the legislature.
Liberal
MLA Benoit Bourque isn't sure 800 letters will be enough to get a
revision in the electoral map for the new municipality ofChampdoré. (CBC)
Liberal MLA Benoit Bourque said he and Robert Gauvin have backed a request from the new municipality of Champdoré to be mostly in Kent County.
Like Dawson, he's not sure the commission will listen.
"It's tough for me to speculate on where they're going to go," he said.
Black River-Hardwicke wants to stay with Miramichi
Lynn Gregan, the former chair of the Black River-Hardwicke local service district, said people in his community near Miramichi feel more attachment to the city — where they tend to work, shop and do business — than to the northern part of Kent County.
"The objection, first of all, was dividing the community of Hardwicke in two," he said.
But he said many people from Escuminac and Baie Sainte-Anne are also opposed to being in Kent North, estimating 60 per cent of voters in the three communities signed a petition against it earlier this year.
Lynn
Gregan, the former chair of the Black River-Hardwicke local service
district, said many people were 'flabbergasted' by how the new electoral
map devided their community. (Shane Fowler/CBC News)
"They're flabbergasted," said Gregan, who now chairs the new Greater Miramichi rural district created by local government reform.
Gregan lives in what will be the Miramichi East provincial riding, while his neighbours in the community will be in the Kent North riding.
The commission said in its final report that it put the area in Kent North because they are part of the new Kent rural district created by local government reform, and it makes sense for them to share the same MLA.
Dawson says that should not supersede local wishes.
"The people of the area would know better than the people on the commission, and if the people of the area say they don't want to be in a certain area because their interests don't align with Kent North, then why are they doing it?"
David Coon objects to splitting of his riding
Green Leader David Coon and party MLA Kevin Arseneau signed an objection to the splitting of Coon's current Fredericton South riding into two new city ridings.
Green Party Leader David Coon, who has represented Fredericton South since 2014, would like the riding held together. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
And Memramcook-Tantramar Green MLA Megan Mitton joined Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap-Pelé Liberal MLA Jacques LeBlanc to sign an objection to part of the new municipality of Cap-Acadie becoming part of a new Tantramar riding.
That objection is unlikely to go anywhere because the commission has already said that if the section of Cap-Acadie were removed, the Tantramar riding would be below the minimum number of voters allowed by provincial law.
Besides LeBlanc, five other Liberals have filed objections or are supporting objections from their ridings. Three of those are about riding boundaries and two are about riding names.
Among Progressive Conservative MLAs, at least two are objecting to riding changes affecting Oromocto and one, cabinet minister Daniel Allain, is objecting to changes to his Moncton East riding, according to a spokesperson. LeBlanc co-signed Allain's objection.
In the last electoral riding redrawing in 2013, the commission rejected 20 of the 23 final objections.
It accepted two in full, including one that changed boundaries and one that only changed a riding's name. And it partly accepted another recommendation dealing with a name change.
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I guess the residents of Chiasson-Savoy weren't the only ones stuck with a reform that made no sense.
> https://davidraymondamos3.
>
>
> RE Higgs calls 3 byelections in former Liberal ridings for April 24
> Amanda Wildeman
> <amanda.wildeman@greenpartynb.
> To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
> Cc: rachel.restigouchechaleur@
> <claire.kelly-orozco@
> Hello Rachel and Claire,
>
> In case you are uncertain what to do with this email, he is one of few
> people that regularly spams the office(s), I do not recommend replying
> at all, but obviously that is your choice.
>
> Thanks,
> Amanda
>
> Out of office / Hors du bureau Re: RE Higgs calls 3 byelections in
> former Liberal ridings for April 24
>
> Amanda Wildeman
> <amanda.wildeman@greenpartynb.
> To: david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
>
> Hello,
>
> Thank you for your email. I am currently on leave from the Green Party of
> NB.
>
> If this is a media request for Green MLAs David Coon, Megan Mitton or
> Kevin Arseneau, please email Josh.O'Donnell@gnb.ca or call (506)
> 478-7781.
>
> For all other requests, please contact our executive director, Claire
> Kelly-Orozco at Claire.Kelly-Orozco@
>
> Thank you,
> Amanda Wildeman
> --
> Bonjour,
>
> Merci pour votre courriel. Je suis actuellement en congé du Parti
> vert du Nouveau-Brunswick.
>
> S'il s'agit d'une demande médiatique pour les députés verts David
> Coon, Megan Mitton ou Kevin Arseneau, veuillez envoyer un courriel à
> Josh.O'Donnell@gnb.ca ou téléphoner au (506) 478-7781.
>
> Pour toute autre demande, veuillez communiquer avec notre directrice
> générale, Claire Kelly-Orozco, à Claire.Kelly-Orozco@
>
> Merci,
> Amanda Wildeman
>
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