Langley is being split, for federal election purposes.
The final decision on federal electoral boundaries for the next 10 years was announced Aug. 21 by the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. The province gains six new seats in the House of Commons under redistribution, with one of those seats the new Cloverdale-Langley City riding. It combines Langley City and a sliver of the Township with Cloverdale and a portion of Surrey as far west as 144 Street.
Several potential candidates in the riding have already emerged.
Langley MP Mark Warawa and many Langley residents had wanted Langley to remain as a single riding, which included both the City and Township. However, the commission concluded that the population of the riding was too high.
The new Cloverdale-Langley City riding will include Langley City and the portion of the Township west of 200 Street, north from the City boundary to Highway 1.
The Langley-Aldergrove riding will include all the rest of the Township and a portion of Abbotsford west of Bradner Road (north of Highway 1), and west of Mount Lehman Road, south of Highway 1.
Warawa had asked the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) in March to include all of the Township in the Langley-Aldergrove riding. While the committee agreed, the commission had the final word, and did not go along with all of his request.
He expressed satisfaction with the final report, saying in a press release “The commission listened to most of the community’s recommendations, which included a name change for both ridings while keeping almost all of the Township of Langley within a single riding. These new changes will better reflect the interests of Langley than the original proposal.”
He also said he plans to run in the 2015 election in Langley-Aldergrove.
“I would like to thank the members of the Electoral Boundaries Commission for their work,” said Warawa. “This was a long, complex process, involving several overlapping districts, and they listened carefully to our recommendations.”
The new boundaries take effect in the next federal election in 2015.
To consult the report, visit www.federal-redistribution.ca.
