THE addition of six new seats for B.C. in the House of Commons could mean changes for the massive West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding.
Currently, the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country contains the largest population in the province.
Conservative MP John Weston represents more than 129,000 people in widely disparate communities ranging from the affluent urban centre of West Vancouver to the rural Powell River area and the resort community of Whistler. Those communities are spread over 13,000 square kilometres.
The average B.C. member of Parliament represents approximately 114,000 people, although 11 ridings - including North Vancouver - now have populations over 120,000. Other B.C. ridings contain populations starting as low as 87,000.
Last month, the federal government passed the Fair Representation Act that will add 30 seats to the existing 308 seats in Canada's House of Commons. The changes reflect population, adding seats in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Quebec will receive three new seats in order to maintain its representation.
An electoral boundary commission will decide exactly how the new electoral map will be carved up.
While an "average" Canadian MP represents about 103,000 people, in practical terms there is considerable variation in the formula for representation by population.
Some constitutional rules keep the number of seats in the Maritimes much higher than would be warranted by population alone. Most ridings in Prince Edward Island, for instance, have populations of about 35,000 - almost a quarter the size of the West Vancouver riding. There are also allowances for sparsely populated but geographically large areas, such as those in the North.
Meanwhile, ridings in some other fast-growing areas of the country, such as urban Ontario, have populations as high as 170,000.
In an interview before the Fair Representation Act was passed, Weston said adding more seats for British Columbia is "a big step forward" in terms of B.C.'s representation in Ottawa.
Weston added it's quite likely his own riding will be affected by the redrawing of the electoral map when it happens.
Richard Johnston, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said redrawing the map is often more complicated than it first appears, both because of B.C.'s geography and the need to consider "communities of interest."
"It's really hard to do," he said. "It can produce some pretty weird ridings."
Patrick Smith, professor of political science at Simon Fraser University, points to a number of growing suburban ridings in communities like Richmond and Surrey south of the Fraser that are also likely candidates for changes.
Both academics also said redrawing the map inevitably involves politics.
"It has implications for the party balance," said Smith. "A lot depends on where those new constituencies will be created."
Both Smith and Johnston said more seats in the House of Commons is good for democracy, although the move is expected to cost more than $14 million annually.
"A larger House of Commons is better than a smaller House of Commons," said Johnston.
But Smith said redrawing the electoral map is not the biggest issue facing the country in terms of "fair representation."
He said the issue of proportional representation and how votes translate into seats is a bigger issue for Canada.
In terms of actual votes cast, "They don't have a majority," he said of the ruling Conservative Party. "A large percentage of Canadians voted against this government."
