Will Seat Redistribution Turn Tory Upon Tory?

At a regular monthly meeting April 25, councillors approved a motion to urge the electoral commission to maintain the "status quo," and to keep as much of the county as possible within a single federal riding.

Council had originally proposed a motion seeking to have the Town of Mississippi Mills, which is currently part of the federal riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills (represented by MP Gordon O'Connor) reunited with the rest of the county, which is currently in the riding of Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (represented by MP Scott Reid).

However, county council withdrew the original motion following a recent vote by Mississippi Mills council in which a majority of that municipality's representatives indicated their preference to stay in the Carleton-Mississippi Mills riding. Coun. Val Wilkinson, who represents Mississippi Mills at county council, stated the outcome of the vote was due to the fact that local councillors "feel they've had very good service from their representative."

Mississippi Mills' desire to remain in the Carleton-Mississippi Mills riding is due to councillors' satisfaction with O'Connor, and not because "we don't want to be part of Lanark County," Wilkinson said.

The received wisdom says that most of the seat redistribution action will take place out in suburban Tory-land.  But logically this implies that most of the breaking up and merging of fiefdoms will occur in the same place. Might be fun to watch.