Overview – Newfoundland and Labrador

In preparing its proposal, the Commission takes as the starting point the decennial census. In 2021, the Chief Statistician of Canada reported that the population of the province was 510,550. That represents a small decline in population. The result means that there is no change in the number of seats in the House of Commons for the province. It remains at seven seats.

The Act provides that the population of each electoral district shall correspond as nearly as possible to the electoral quota for the province. The electoral quota is determined by dividing the population, as determined by the decennial census, by the number of seats allocated to each province. In this province, the electoral quota is 72,936 inhabitants per district.

The Act then goes on to set out the factors that must be considered by the Commission in setting the boundaries. It is useful to quote the provisions of section 15 of the Act:

• 15 (1) In preparing its report, each commission for a province shall, subject to subsection (2), be governed by the following rules:
  1. the division of the province into electoral districts and the description of the boundaries thereof shall proceed on the basis that the population of each electoral district in the province as a result thereof shall, as close as reasonably possible, correspond to the electoral quota for the province, that is to say, the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the province as ascertained by the census by the number of members of the House of Commons to be assigned to the province as calculated by the Chief Electoral Officer under subsection 14(1); and
  2. the commission shall consider the following in determining reasonable electoral district boundaries:
     • (i) the community of interest or community of identity in or the historical pattern of an electoral district in the province, and
     • (ii) a manageable geographic size for districts in sparsely populated, rural or northern regions of the province.
• (2) The commission may depart from the application of the rule set out in paragraph (1)(a) in any case where the commission considers it necessary or desirable to depart therefrom
  1. in order to respect the community of interest or community of identity in or the historical pattern of an electoral district in the province, or
  2. in order to maintain a manageable geographic size for districts in sparsely populated, rural or northern regions of the province,

  but, in departing from the application of the rule set out in paragraph (1)(a), the commission shall make every effort to ensure that, except in circumstances viewed by the commission as being extraordinary, the population of each electoral district in the province remains within twenty-five per cent more or twenty-five per cent less of the electoral quota for the province.

The Commission thought carefully about the electoral district boundaries for the seven existing ridings, and it has proposed small adjustments to the boundaries, where necessary, to accommodate population shifts (both up and down: while the population in the province as a whole decreased since the previous census, some districts increased in population, while others decreased). The Commission sought to find a balance between seeking to adhere closely to the electoral quota and ensuring that communities of interest and identity are protected.

A review of the legislated factors brings the Commission to the conclusion that, in the case of Labrador, extraordinary circumstances support a departure from the electoral quota in excess of the 25 percent limit set out in subsection 15(2) of the Act. Since accommodating that departure from the quota will, of necessity, have a significant impact on the calculation in the other districts, this report will address that issue first.