Both the mayor of Montreal and the leader of the opposition party are joining forces in the fight to preserve a provincial riding.
The support for the Montreal riding of Sainte-Marie/Saint-Jacques comes as the Chief Electoral Officer seeks to reform the electoral map.
He is planning to fuse the Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques riding with part of the Westmount-Saint-Louis riding, which would then be called Ville-Marie.
The western half of Saint-Louis would merge with NDG to form the new riding of Westmount-NDG.
Quebec solidaire MNA Manon Massé, who was elected into the riding, has been fighting to save the riding.
She argues the makeup of the new riding would mean some voters' voices would not be heard, especially in the Gay Village portion, and that the population profile of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Jacques differs significantly from that of Westmount-Saint-Louis.
Denis Coderre, Valerie Plante and Commission scolaire de Montréal President Catherine Harel-Bourdon all agree with that assertion and are speaking out in support of Massé’s battle.
Chief Electoral Officer Pierre Reid is expected to announce the final decision shortly.
A petition signed by more than 14,000 people in the riding calling for additional public consultations was submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer last week.
Sainte-Marie/Saint-Jacques is one of only three ridings held in the province by Quebec Solidaire.
With files from The Canadian Press
