Federal electoral districts redistribution 2022

Statement of Principles

One of the first formal decisions following the constitution of the Commission involved establishing a set of principles to guide our deliberations. Consideration was given to the purpose of the redistribution, the direction contained in the Act and democratic principles. A statement was adopted that emphasized the independence of the process and the objectives of electoral integrity, inclusivity and diversity. It reads as follows:

Our duty as a commission is to focus our attention on federal electoral boundaries, and, of course, geography has an important influence on the nature of representation in a province as vast and diverse as ours. While geography, population distribution and the recent census updates are necessarily at the centre of our process, our commission is committed to principles of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that all residents of the province have an opportunity to share their thoughts about the nature of political representation of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in the House of Commons.

The Commission is guided by four key principles in its work.

  1. First, the Commission is a non-partisan body committed to independence from political parties and partisan influence in its decision-making process.
  2. Second, we are committed to the importance of population equality among all ridings in Newfoundland and Labrador, under the basic principle of "one person one vote," and we aim to ensure that electoral districts are as equal in size as possible.
  3. Third, we are committed to respecting the territorial integrity of diverse communities in the province, including Indigenous communities, municipalities and local service districts, and we will endeavour to ensure that district boundaries do not pass through these communities wherever possible.
  4. Fourth, we understand that equity and equality are not the same, and we are committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in guiding our work, to ensure that the process is accessible to all residents of the province.

The Commission has endeavoured to reflect these principles in crafting this proposal.