Ontario, Alberta, BC to have more MPs: Uppal

TORONTO: As part of democratic reforms, Prime Minister Stephen Harper government is planning to give more representation to highly-populated provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia in the House of Commons. Giving this information, Minister of State for Democratic Reform Tim Uppal said that increasing the number of MPs has become necessary to give fair representation to various ridings in these provinces.

“Hopefully, the Election, Canada will work in this regard in February, March next year”, said Uppal, while talking to CanIndia News in a telephonic interview this week. “A legislation would be introduced this fall”.

Although he did not divulge the number of additions in House of Commons, Uppal said that the move would remove inequities like MPs in Alberta representing over 3 or more times as many citizens as MPs from Prince Edward Island or an Ontario riding containing 170,000 voters as compared to less than 30,000 in one Labrador seat.

Uppal, two-time MP from Edmonton-Sherwood Park, said that the Senate Reforms Bill, already introduced in Parliament, may take some more time to clear. He said that Harper government introduced the Senate Reform bill to make the Senate more democratic, accountable, and representative of Canadians. “The proposing changes will give Canadians a say in the selection of their Senate nominees and will limit new senators to one nine-year term,” he said.

The Senate Reform Act provides a voluntary framework for provinces to implement a democratic process that enables voters to select Senate nominees. Senators, who were or will be appointed after the October 2008 election, will be subject to nine-year terms from the date of the coming into force of the bill.

On being asked how he feels after becoming first turbaned Sikh in the Canadian Parliament, he said “it’s an honour”.

“It’s victory of the community”. He appreciated PM Harper in giving recognition to South Asian community in his Cabinet.

In a question about funding to political parties, the minister said the government is not in favour of parties getting funds from the government. “Let the supporters of political parties fund theirs outfit and not the government”, he said and defended the Harper government’s move in this regard.

Belonging to Bassian village in Ludhiana district of Punjab, he said that none of his family members has any political leanings. A famous community leader in Edmonton-Sherwood area, Uppal decided to jump into the political battlefield when asked by his friends and loyal supporters.

KB Kapur

Worked with national newspapers Indian Express and Hindustan Times as a principal correspondent. Prior to joining Can-India News in August, 2009, worked as Editor for Asian Newsline and South Asian Free Press daily newspaper in Toronto.
Email: KBKapur@CanIndia.com