摘要:Traditionally, political representation has been based on territory. A member of Parliament is elected from a specific constituency and once elected he or she represents all of the interests of all of the constituents. In recent years various groups have been arguing for an understanding of representation not based solely on territory but which takes into account other factors including sex and ethnicity. Parliament, it is argued, does not reflect well enough the composition of the whole of society. This issue was discussed at the 35th Conference of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held in Winnipeg. The lead speakers were John MacKay, MLA of New Brunswick and Dennis Richards, MLA of Nova Scotia. The following extracts are based upon the proceedings prepared by Manitoba Hansard. The complete transcript is available from the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.