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Federal Politics

I enjoy that the new distribution accounts for our population. The part I don't like is this constant adding of new seats. Having more seats is such a waste of money, while providing little benefit. Seats should just be redistributed.
 
jason403 said:
I enjoy that the new distribution accounts for our population. The part I don't like is this constant adding of new seats. Having more seats is such a waste of money, while providing little benefit. Seats should just be redistributed.
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I agree with you. But Canada is a democratic federation and people need fair representation for where they live. In the last 10 years Alberta has seen tremendous population growth (though since 2020 it is dropping) and citizens here are entitled to be fairly represented by population. If we just used redistribution some Provinces and the people living there like PEI would feel alienated from Canada ... thus compromises. The current distribution is based on 2011 population census and the new redistribution and add ons will be based on the 2021 census numbers (yet to be released). I think Quebec is getting screwed and New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and PEI should have seats taken from them - not Quebec.

2015 electoral population and ridings by province/territory[edit]​

Province / Terr.ElectorsRidingsElectors per riding
AB2,732,9033480,379
BC3,245,8814277,282
Canada25,279,13933874,790
MB856,9461461,210
NB587,8231058,782
NL411,875758,839
NS723,5461165,776
NT28,795128,795
NU18,124118,124
ON9,449,41212178,094
PE108,943427,235
QC6,340,6237881,290
SK749,0041453,500
YT25,264125,264

en.wikipedia.org

Population of Canadian federal ridings - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
^^^^ The chart is from 2015 -- since then Alberta has experienced a major surge in population while Quebec's population has actually declined. The smaller provinces and territories (population-wise) have proportionately greater representation per elector to help (somewhat) ameliorate power centres from complete control over the entire country. It is likely that Alberta will surpass British Columbia in the next decade in total population but not in electors -- age-related retirement to BC while a much younger population proportion in Alberta. A few new factors -- not entirely expressed at the moment -- should see a proportionate shift in Canadian population westward.
 
Again, I agree Alberta should have a higher share. Those should come as others lose seats. I just don't like new seats being added to Parliament.
 
occidentalcapital said:
I think it makes sense to add seats because you want to have about the same number of people per MP as in the past. If a riding gets too big, the MP won't know it well enough to represent it.
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Exactly. If ridings get too big, it dilutes the votes and makes it extremely impersonal.

And it's not like were adding seats like crazy. In 2100, if we achieve the predicted population peak of 53M, we'd have around 470 MPs (and that's 80 years from now).
 
Gronk! said:
Now that Randy has been re-elected in Edmonton-Centre, he needs to do 2 things:
1) Demand a more powerful cabinet position. He needs to be more than just the token homosexual. Maybe something with business or the economy?
2) Remind Justin Trudeau that Edmonton is Alberta's provincial capital with a population of more than 1 million people and thus he should visit more often.
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Hopefully he and Edmonton will be taken more seriously in the upcoming government. It is a mystery to me why he didn't get a more prominent position when he was first elected in 2015.

It probably would have helped the Federal Liberals if the leader visited here during the election. I get that the big battlegrounds were elsewhere, but there actually were other races here and a bit more attention might have helped them do better here.
 
David A said:
Hopefully he and Edmonton will be taken more seriously in the upcoming government. It is a mystery to me why he didn't get a more prominent position when he was first elected in 2015.
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Well, Alberta elected four Liberal MPs in 2015 (2 each from Edm and Cgy) and 2 of the 4 were ministers in cabinet- that's not bad. It was Sohi and Kent Hehr.

But Randy did have some notable roles including special advisor in LGBTQ2+ issues (which led to official apology from PM) as well as his role on special committee on the Jody Wilson-Raybould hearing. However, his role in this particular issue was more regrettable as he himself acknowledged as he came across as an attack dog.

Just prior to this past election, Randy wrote the following blog about hyperpartisanship:

"I saw first hand just how damaging hyper-partisanship is to our politics. I did it myself by participating in politics in a way that pitted people of integrity and good faith against one another. It is something I regret. It is something I want to help solve."

I wonder if he might score the same portfolio Sohi had - either infrastructure or natural resources.
 
It's not a more senior ministry like Sohi had but still a good thing. It doesn't hurt to be working in finance with Freeland, either.

Congrats Randy!

I think Chahal might have been picked had he not still had the controversy going on with him removing election flyers from mailboxes.
 
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