Federal electoral districts redistribution 2022

Introduction

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (the Commission) was established by Order in Council of the Federal Government on November 1, 2021. It was established under the authority of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. E-3 (the Act).

The Commission has three members: Dr. Amanda Bittner, a political science professor at Memorial University, and Ms. Julie Eveleigh, of Comfort Cove, both appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Mr. Justice Alphonsus Faour of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed by the Chief Justice of Newfoundland and Labrador. Justice Faour acts as Chair and Dr. Bittner as Deputy Chair.

The Secretary to the Commission is Ms. Pamela Ryder Lahey, a former chief administrator of the Supreme Court of the province. The geographical consultant is Ms. Karen Ennis of Ottawa.

The mandate of the Commission is to consider and report on the readjustment of the boundaries of the electoral districts of the province after the completion of the 2021 decennial census. This is a process that is undertaken each decade under the authority of the Act to ensure that the population shifts that naturally occur are taken into account in the setting of the boundaries and population of each district.

Across Canada, a separate commission in each province is charged by the Act with leading a process that includes the following elements:

  • The proposal of a new electoral map for the province by considering a variety of criteria, including average population numbers, communities of interest and identity, the historical patterns of an electoral district and the geographic size of electoral districts;
  • Consultation with people in the province through public hearings and other forms of feedback;
  • The submission of a report and proposal of an electoral map to the House of Commons;
  • Consideration of objections from members of Parliament (MPs);
  • The finalization of a report setting the electoral boundaries for the province.

While the Commission is directed by the Act to consider the input received from Canadians and Parliamentarians when preparing its final report, as an independent body it is the Commission that makes the final decisions as to the boundaries and their names.