They are the 23 per cent

They've redesigned the future seating plan for the House of Commons, an expansion that will reward Alberta for its population boom, add a bit for British Columbia for the same and provide for Ontario's population domination with more seating as well.

Ever mindful of the political ramifications of such seat shifting, the Conservatives have also proposed a modest increase for the Province of Quebec, one which will seemingly bring the province right on target should one follow the path of representation by population.

Quebec which at the moment makes up 23% of the nations population, will upon the delivery of additional space in the House of Commons, lay claim to 23 per cent of the seats in the people's chamber.

So, one has to wonder why the federal NDP seems to be sticking to their quest for perpetual seats, regardless of the ebb and flow of population in the country.

Clearly the short term benefit of their stand would be to reward the legions of voters that sent the Orange wave from Quebec off to Ottawa, a political meteorite that streaked across the Quebec sky last spring and pushed the NDP from perennial third party status to Her Majesties Loyal Opposition.

Much of that of course came on the strength of the personality of the late Jack Layton, and now those that seek to replace him appear ready to take up the challenge of permanent seats for Quebec, while the rest of the nation will remain along the the rep by pop dogma.

A move that perhaps won't resonate too well with the old line NDPers of the west, especially those Premiers and would be Premiers who still feel the odd pang of alienation from the nation's capital.

The House of Commons re-design has had varying degrees of reaction from coast to coast to coast, some of that can be found below.

Toronto Star-- Canada's unequal voters
Toronto Star-- Tories fall short in repairing democratic imbalance
Toronto Star-- Fixing our democracy
Toronto Star-- No so common math goes into new seat allocation
Calgary Herald-- Quebec still more equal than other provinces
Edmonton Journal-- Seat-allocation merry go round spins
Ottawa Citizen-- Musical seats
CBC-- 6 new B. C. MPs are not enough, says NDP
CBC-- Adding 30 new MPs to cost millions per year
Vancouver Sun-- BC gets short end of stick in new House of Commons plan
Montreal Gazette-- Three more ridings not enough, minister says
National Post-- More than fair to Quebec
Globe and Mail-- Harper quells unrest in Tory ranks to juggle seats in House
Globe and Mail-- In redrawing the House, Harper plays to Quebec
Globe and Mail-- Analysis shows Tories would benefit most from rebalancing plan
Globe and Mail-- Conservatives should not waver on rep-by-pop
Saskatoon Star Phoenix-- Adding seats a cynical tactic