Nunavik riding doubtful

IQALUIT — Despite repeated promises from the Quebec government, it doesn’t appear Nunavik will get a provincial riding of its own.

In fact, a new electoral map proposed last week by Quebec’s electoral-representation commission shows the present Ungava riding growing instead of shrinking.

The riding now includes Nunavik, the James Bay Cree territory and several other communities in northern Quebec. Under the new map, a section of the Duplessis riding in the Lac St-Jean region would be transferred to Ungava, increasing its size and number of constituents.

Such a change would dilute the power of Inuit within the riding. It would also increase the number of Quebecois sovereigntists in Ungava. The Duplessis riding has traditionally voted for the Parti-Québécois and separation.

In June the Kativik Regional Government received support from the Association of Quebec regions for a seat of its own in the provincial legislature. The Kativik plans to continue lobbying Quebec for a Nunavik riding.