The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. (FEBC) has recommended that Pemberton and Area C be aligned with the Sea to Sky corridor for the next election.
The FEBC’s report, which was tabled in the House of Commons on Monday (Jan. 28), calls for the Pemberton Valley to move into the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding.
B.C. will be receiving six new seats in parliament for the next federal election, which requires a realignment of electoral district boundaries to accommodate the new ridings. The FEBC’s original proposal saw Pemberton remain in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon region, but commission members reacted positively to local lawmakers’ requests to align the Pemberton Valley with the Sea to Sky corridor instead. The change to the boundaries in the report seems to further indicate the commission’s appetite for the change.
Based on the report, D’Arcy would become the northernmost community in the riding. Squamish-Lillooet Regional District areas A and B would be part of the newly-named Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon riding.
A House of Commons committee will now study the report and make non-binding suggestions back to the FEBC. The commission may take those comments into consideration before submitting a final report to the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
See Thursday’s (Jan. 31) edition of The Question for more on this story.
