|
|
|
FEDERAL ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES
COMMISSION FOR ONTARIO
Report
The increase to Canada’s population during the past 10 years has necessitated
a change to the total number of electoral districts represented in the
House of Commons from 301 to 308. The number of electoral districts in
the House of Commons is derived from the formula and rules set out in
sections 51 and 51A of the Constitution Act, 1867. This formula
takes into account changes to provincial population, as reflected in the
decennial census. Between the censuses of 1991 and 2001, the population
of Ontario increased from 10,084,885 to 11,410,046. The number of electoral
districts in Ontario will be increased from 103 to 106.
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission
for Ontario (referred to hereinafter as "the Commission") was established on
April 16, 2002, by proclamation, as required under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. E-3). The
Commission is an independent body with the responsibility for readjusting the
electoral boundaries in the province of Ontario after the completion of the
decennial census. The Chairperson, appointed by the Chief Justice of Ontario,
is the Honourable Mr. Justice Douglas Lissaman of the Superior Court of
Justice. The members of the Commission, appointed by the Speaker of the House
of Commons, are Janet Hiebert, Associate Professor in the Department of
Political Studies at Queen’s University, and Andrew Sancton, Professor and
Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario.
The Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (referred
to hereinafter as "the Act") emphasizes that the federal electoral
boundaries commission for a province shall be governed by a number of rules
contained in section 15 of the Act. The principal rule for constructing
electoral boundaries is that the population of each electoral district shall be
as close as is reasonably possible to the electoral quotient for the province,
while considering that reasonable electoral boundaries shall reflect a community
of interest, a community of identity or the historical pattern of an electoral
district; and a manageable geographical size for electoral districts in
sparsely populated, rural or northern regions of the province. A commission may
depart from the rule that electoral districts correspond to the provincial
quotient where it believes to do so is necessary or desirable to respect a
community of interest or maintain a manageable geographical size for electoral
districts. But in departing from the rule, that electoral districts correspond
to the provincial quotient, a commission must make every effort to ensure that,
except in circumstances it views as being extraordinary, the population of each
electoral district remains within 25 per cent (plus or minus) of the provincial
quotient. The provincial quotient for electoral districts in Ontario is
107,642, which is established by dividing the population of Ontario by the
number of electoral districts assigned to the province. The upper limit of the
quotient is 134,553 and the lower limit is 80,732.
The Commission released a report describing
its proposed boundaries, which was published as a supplement to the Canada
Gazette on August 17, 2002. The proposals were also contained in an
advertising flyer that appeared in 43 daily newspapers between August 16 and
19,which outlined the process for making public representations and
specified the locations and dates for the public hearings. Similar
advertisements were placed in 330 other news publications throughout the province.
The Commission held public hearings in 16
locations around Ontario, from October 21 until December 10 in the following
cities: Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Belleville, Timmins, Greater Sudbury,
Kingston, Ottawa, Whitby, Richmond Hill, Hamilton, St. Catharines, London,
Windsor, Mississauga, Barrie and Toronto. The Commission received 535
representations, of which 286 were made at the public hearings (many of the
presenters also provided written submissions) and an additional 249 were in
written form only. Both the oral and written representations were extremely
helpful to the Commission. The Commission has reflected upon suggestions made
to improve the proposals and has tried to respond to concerns that the proposed
electoral districts divided communities of interests or led to unmanageable
electoral districts. Although the recommended changes were not always possible
to incorporate, either because of inappropriate population levels involved or
due to conflicting demands in neighbouring electoral districts, the Commission
has made a substantial number of changes to the electoral districts, from those
specified in its proposals. Based on testimony heard at the hearings and in
written submissions, the Commission made changes to 80 of its proposed electoral districts.
[Next]
|
