April 5, 2002
No MNA for Nunavik yet
Its official: the
new electoral map of Quebec leaves Nunavik within the present riding of Ungava.
This means Nunavik wont
have its own member in Quebecs national assembly in the foreseeable future.
Despite extensive lobbying
from Nunavik leaders and promises from Parti Québécois
politicians, Nunavik will remain part of the sprawling Ungava riding until the
next electoral review in 10 years or until a special law is passed changing
the ridings boundaries.
Instead of removing Nunavik
from the riding, Quebecs electoral review commission decided to add more
francophone communities to the southern portion of Ungava.
It justified this decision
in an official publication on the new electoral map.
In fact, the electoral
commissioners considered the option of redistributing the territory included
in Ungava into the ridings of Abitibi or Saguenay-Lac St. Jean. Thats
because the voting population of the Ungava riding, 22,593, falls under the
provincial norm of 42,713.
"Due to the large
distances, the lack of roads between municipalities located around the ridings
boundaries, plans for development projects and the possibility of a chain reaction
that would affect neighbouring jurisdictions, the commission had no other choice
than to maintain the Ungava ridings exceptional status."
The commissions final
report didnt mention whether the option of carving out a new riding for
Nunavik had received any serious attention at all.
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