Elections Canada has launched reviews of Canada’s electoral boundaries in each province as is required every 10 years under the Elections Act.
Under the rules for allocating seats among provinces, Manitoba is entitled to 14 seats in the House of Commons, which is the same number of members of Parliament who represent the province today.
“The main goal of the Manitoba Electoral Boundaries Commission is to readjust boundaries so that each of those 14 ridings will have roughly the same population size, to ensure that the votes of all Manitobans are approximately equal in value,” an Elections Canada release says. “The commission may depart from that goal to address concerns related to a community of interest or identity, or to geographic size.”
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The commission will draft a proposal for new boundaries, taking into consideration various factors, such as population figures, communities of identity or interest, historical patterns, and geographical factors, and the need to balance continuity and change.
After the commission has drafted its proposal, the new electoral map is published and members of the public are invited to comment and make their own suggestions.
After the views from the public are considered, the commission will submit a report to the House of Commons, where members of Parliament will provide feedback that will then be reviewed by a parliamentary committee.
The new map will be used at the first general election called at least seven months after the representation order becomes law – likely the 2015 general election.
Citizens who would like to participate in creating the initial proposal, are invited to provide comments by email ([email protected]) or mail by Friday, April 27, 2012. To learn more about the redistribution of Manitoba’s federal electoral districts, visit www.federal-redistribu tion.ca.
