Federal electoral districts redistribution 2022

Rules

  1. These rules may be cited as The Rules of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for British Columbia, 2022.
  2. In these rules:
    1. Act means the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. E-3);
    2. advertisement means an advertisement published by the Commission pursuant to subsection 19(2) of the Act;
    3. Commission means the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of British Columbia established following the 2021 decennial census;
    4. notice of intention to make a representation means notice in writing given to the Secretary pursuant to subsection 19(5) of the Act;
    5. Secretary means the Secretary of the Commission;
    6. sitting means a sitting held for the hearing of representations in accordance with section 19 of the Act, and shall include a hearing by way of Internet communications.
  3. Only one person shall be heard in the presentation of any single representation at a sitting unless the Commission, in its discretion, decides otherwise.
  4. A person giving notice of intention to make a representation shall state in the notice at which of the places, named in the advertisement as a place of sitting, he or she wishes the representation to be heard. If no such notice is given, the Secretary shall ascertain from such person the hearing at which he or she wishes to make a representation. The Commission may in its discretion hear a representation even if previous notice has not been given.
  5. If no notice of intention has been submitted at a place, or in the case of a proposed hearing by way of Internet communication, the Commission may cancel the hearing at such place or by such means, provided that the Commission shall hold at least one sitting for purposes of representation, in accordance with section 19 of the Act.
  6. Two members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the holding of a sitting.
  7. If a quorum cannot be present at a place of sitting on the date set out by the advertisement, the Commission may postpone that sitting to a later date.
    1. In the event of the cancellation or postponement of a sitting, the Secretary shall notify any person who has given notice of intention to make a representation, and who has not been heard, that the sitting has been cancelled or postponed.
    2. The Commission, in the event of a cancellation or postponement of a sitting, shall give public notice of such postponement or cancellation by such means as the Commission considers adequate in the circumstances.
  8. If it appears at a sitting of the Commission that the Commission cannot complete hearing representations within the time allowed, the Commission may adjourn the sitting to a later date at the same place or may, taking into account the convenience of persons whose representations have not been heard or have been only partly heard, adjourn the sitting to a sitting elsewhere.
  9. Notwithstanding anything contained in these rules, a person who has given notice of intention to make a representation where the Commission will sit for the hearing of representations may, with the consent of the Commission, be heard at another sitting designated as a place of sitting.
  10. At each hearing the Commission shall decide the order in which the representations are heard.
  11. Any person wishing to make a representation to the Commission shall advise the Secretary in writing, by one week prior to the hearing at which the person wishes to make the representation, of the official language of preference that person wishes to use and any need for accommodation he or she may have.
  12. The Commission will hold one virtual public hearing. In addition to the principles to be applied to in-person public hearings the following procedures and requirements apply to the virtual public hearing:
    1. the link to the virtual public hearing will be made available only to participants and observers who have registered with the commission and to members of the media;
    2. participants will have the option to share their screen;
    3. the video feed from the presenters is optional and they may simply participate by phone.