A proposal to change the federal electoral map in Ontario by adding 15 ridings and shifting boundaries for others won’t actually lead to more voter equality, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation argue in a paper released this week that while other provincial commissions redrawing the electoral map have stuck to the idea that each riding should have the same number of voters — staying as close as possible to representation by population — Ontario’s commission has come up with proposals that would make some ridings in the northern part of the province over-represented, and leaving some of the fastest-growing urban areas under-represented in Parliament.
The independent commissions can vary from representation by population (calculated by giving each riding within a province an equal number of voters) by as much as 25 per cent or more in extraordinary cases, but the commissions have tried to not vary more than 10 per cent. Alberta and British Columbia have stuck almost precisely to this calculation in their redrawing of the electoral map, but Ontario has not.
“Unfortunately, Ontario displays the weakest commitment to voter equality among these provinces,” the paper argues. “In the four provinces that gained seats, 25 of 29 ridings that deviate by more than 10 per cent from representation by population are in Ontario. When ridings located in rural, remote, or northern regions are excluded, all 15 ridings among these provinces that deviate by more than 10 per cent are located in Ontario.”
The authors of the paper write that the “relatively weak commitment to the principle of voter equality” in the proposed electoral map for the province is at odds with the government’s rationale for passing the Fair Representation Act, which will add 30 new seats to the House of Commons. The Tories pass the legislation in late 2011, adding 15 seats to Ontario, six each to Alberta and B.C., and three to Quebec, arguing that the added seats would ensure more equal representation for provinces that have recently been under-represented in the Commons.
“Representation by population stands as the most important legal principle to apply when designing electoral boundaries in Canada. The Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (EBRA) requires that ridings should be ‘as close as reasonably possible’ to representation by population within each province. Commissions may deviate from representation by population for specific factors, such as community of interest, but ensuring (electoral districts) of roughly equal population remains the primary goal. Voter equality is also a fundamental constitutional principle. The principle ensures that all Canadians are treated as equals and taken into account by their political representatives.”
The paper ends with recommendations, including having the commission cut up municipalities to ensure voter equity, the number of voters per riding in southern Ontario shouldn’t deviate by more than five per cent from the provincial average, and should take into account growth in the next 10 years, even though that isn’t explicitly required under federal law.
You can read the full paper here:
The commissions were set up to redraw federal voting districts in each province based on population growth and shifts over the past 10 years. The redrawing of the electoral map happens every 10 years after a census. Each commission has three members: A current or retired judge as chairperson, and two voting experts.
Commissions will file their final recommendation to the Speaker of the House of Commons by the end of the year. A parliamentary committee will review the boundaries before issuing a final report.
It will then be up to the government to approve the new boundaries. The final boundaries are the decision of the commission, which then has to be proclaimed by the Governor in Council.