Perhaps he is upset at redistricting. Him and the Chicoutimi-Le Fjord MP would live in the same riding, now and the party would give a preference to the other one?
Redistricting wont be an issue for a while now, methinks. But we could see some interesting things happening. I can't recall a time where 2 sitting federal NDP MPs had to run against each other for a nomination before.
Does Canada have a residential requirement for MPs? Over here, they would probably run in their redistributed riding (unless it had been adversely affected by the redistribution) and may or not move house after. I knew someone who moved house because he insisted on living in his electorate, and I know of another MP who, at retirement, lived 40km outside his electorate because he didn't move during his career, and successive redistributions kept moving his boundary further and further away (when he started, he lived in the centre of his electorate, or thereabouts). Labor MPs in safe Labor seats generally don't want to live in their electorates, since safe Labor areas tend to be less desirable neighbourhoods.
Anyway, I think it should be up to the voters. I think a local will best represent local interests, but it's like any other policy position - the voters can decide what matters to them and make up their own mind about who should represent them in Parliament.
Canada does not have a residency requirement. As an example, Jack Layton and Olivia Chow lived together (in Trinity-Spadina, I believe) and represented separate ridings.
Yeah, and that's part of why it's almost necessary to not have a residency requirement. The way the leadership system works for the parties, some of the parties would really suffer if they couldn't try to get their leader elected in a by-election unless it was in the leader's home riding.
