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Legislative analysis of Bill C-246CEO Appearance on the 44th General Election before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

Key Messages

  • As independent commissions have already begun their work, any legislative amendment that Parliament wishes to make to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act process must be made as soon as possible.
  • As currently drafted, Bill C-246 does not include any transitional provisions to allow providing a new calculation to independent commissions already in operation.

Facts

  • Bill C-246, introduced by Member of Parliament Martin Champoux (Bloc Québécois, Drummond), proposes an amendment to the Constitution Act, 1867 to ensure that the total number of members of Parliament for Quebec is not less than 25% of the total number of members in the House of Commons.
  • If adopted as proposed, Bill C-246 will not modify the CEO's calculation for the ongoing redistribution process, as it does not include any transitory provisions. As required by the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, the chief electoral officer has already calculated the number of seats per province.