Faced with a split decision, Kennedy Stewart decided he was more of a Southern Man than a guy from North Van.
The NDP MP announced Monday he’s decided to run in the southern part of what’s left of his current Burnaby-Douglas riding, which will be split into two new seats when the next federal election is held in 2015.
Stewart said it was a tough decision in response to a controversial redrawing of the electoral map that will see Burnaby-Douglas transformed into Burnaby North-Seymour and Burnaby-South.
The new Burnaby North-Seymour riding combines the northern half of Burnaby-Douglas with parts of the existing North Vancouver federal riding. Burnaby-South will include portions from the southern half of Burnaby-Douglas with neighbourhoods currently in the existing Burnaby-New Westminster riding.
Stewart said he had to decide which area he had the closest ties to – Burnaby or North Vancouver.
“It came down to which community I had stronger links to, and I have stronger links in Burnaby,” the told the Burnaby NOW.
“It’s been an awful redistribution process. There are a lot of people against it.”
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission engineered the redistribution, which Stewart called “the most radical change in Canada.”
