The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec Publishes Its Proposal To Revise The Electoral Map

Montréal, Friday, July 29, 2022. The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec has published its proposal for revising the electoral map.

"In publishing this proposal, the Commission has concluded the first step of the mandate entrusted to it by the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act," says Jacques Chamberland, former justice and Chair of the Commission.

The Commission's next step will be to hear from citizens all across Quebec, in addition to the two virtual hearings already on the calendar. "Consulting the public is an essential part of revising the electoral map," says Mr. Chamberland.

The proposal consists of two parts: the first addresses the geographical boundaries of the 78 federal electoral districts in Quebec and, the second, the names of the electoral districts.

The goal of redistributing the electoral map is to ensure that all citizens have the same political influence. "It would be inequitable and contrary to the very essence of democracy if our system were any different," says André Blais, member of the Commission and political science professor at the Université de Montréal. "It takes much more than just simple math, though, to revise an electoral map," adds Louis Massicotte, member of the Commission and former political science professor at Université Laval. "We also have to consider other factors provided for in section 15 of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act."

After examining the current electoral map (drawn 10 years ago), the Commission has proposed to leave the boundaries of 17 electoral districts intact. Gaspésie will lose a member of Parliament (the Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia seat) and a new electoral district will be created north of Montréal, in the Laurentian Mountains (Les Pays d'en Haut). The boundaries of 60 other electoral districts will be modified to varying degrees in order to bring their population counts closer to the electoral quotient of 108,998.

As for electoral district names, the Commission has proposed changes to 12 district names. Most of these changes resulted from the Commission's wish for Quebec's Indigenous populations to be better reflected on the electoral map. The other electoral district names will remain the same.

"Publishing this proposal marks the start of the public consultation period," says Mr. Chamberland. "My fellow Commission members and I invite everyone, especially Indigenous communities interested in these name changes, to share their comments and suggestions with us. Your voice is an essential part of our process."

Public hearings

The Quebec commission is holding a total of 22 public hearings, in person and virtual, to gather comments and feedback on the proposed boundaries and electoral district names.

Public hearings

Location	Place	Date	Time
Gaspé	Hôtel Baker 278 Reine Street	September 6, 2022	9 a.m.
Matane	Hôtel-Motel La Vigie 600 Phare Avenue West	September 7, 2022	9 a.m.
Rimouski	Hôtel Rimouski 225 René-Lepage Boulevard East	September 8, 2022	9 a.m.
Rivière-du-Loup	Hôtel Universel 311 Hôtel-de-Ville Boulevard	September 9, 2022	9 a.m.
Montréal	Hôtel Intercontinental 360 Saint-Antoine Street	September 12, 2022	1  p.m.
Montréal	Hôtel Intercontinental 360 Saint-Antoine Street	September 13, 2022	9 a.m.
Virtual hearing	The link will be provided to participants.	September 14, 2022	9 a.m.
Saguenay	Hôtel Le Montagnais 1080 Talbot Boulevard	September 19, 2022	9 a.m.
Lévis	Sheraton Lévis (Centre des congrès) 5800 J.-B.-Michaud Street	September 20, 2022	10 a.m.
Québec	Hôtel Travelodge 3125 Hochelaga Boulevard	September 21, 2022	9 a.m.
Trois-Rivières	Holiday Inn Express & Suites 2000 Grands-Marchés Street	September 22, 2022	10 a.m.
Laval	Sheraton (Palais des congrès) 2440 Laurentides Highway	September 26, 2022	1:30 p.m.
Saint-Jérôme	Super 8 (Wyndham) 3 John-F.-Kennedy Street	September 27, 2022	9:30 a.m.
Sainte-Adèle	Hôtel Mont-Gabriel 1699 Mont-Gabriel Road	September 28, 2022	9 a.m.
Gatineau	Hôtel Four Points 35 Laurier Street	September 29, 2022	9 a.m.
Val-d'Or	Le Forestel 1001 Third Avenue East	September 30, 2022	9 a.m.
Sallaberry-de-Valleyfield	Palais de justice de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield 74 Académie Street	October 3, 2022	9:30 a.m.
Longueuil	Holiday Inn Longueuil 900 Saint-Charles Street East	October 4, 2022	9:30 a.m.
Sherbrooke	Delta Sherbrooke 2685 King Street West	October 5, 2022	9 a.m.
Thetford Mines	Hôtel du Domaine 755 Ninth Street South	October 6, 2022	9 a.m.
Sept-Îles	Quality Inn & Suites 1009 Laure Boulevard	October 11, 2022	9 a.m.
Virtual hearing	The link will be provided to participants.	October 13, 2022	9 a.m.

If you wish to make a presentation at a hearing, please send a notice of representation to the Commission in writing by August 31, 2022. You can do so by:

• mailing it to the Commission's office
• emailing QC@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca
• filling out the Public Hearing Notice Form
• using the Interactive Mapping Tool

Notices of representation should include:

• your name, address and contact information
• the organization you represent (if any)
• the date of the public hearing you wish to attend
• a short overview of the issue(s) you intend to address
• your official language of preference
• any accommodation you may need

Note: If you wish to send comments and feedback to the commission without attending a public hearing, you can do so by email, by mail or by using the Interactive Mapping Tool. To obtain a copy of the Commission's proposal or to learn more about the redistribution of federal electoral districts, visit redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca.

Information

Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec

Website

redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca

Email

QC@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca

Mailing address

Media enquiries

Media@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca