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The recently established Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario has started its review of the province's federal electoral districts.
The Ontario Commission is one of 10 independent federal electoral boundaries commissions created by law to redraw the boundaries of Canada's federal electoral districts. It is headed by George T.S. Valin and commissioners Leslie Pal and Douglas Colbourne.
The work of readjusting Ontario's federal electoral boundaries is not simply a mathematical exercise whereby each electoral district ends up with roughly the same number of people; rather, it's a balancing act that must take into consideration communities of interest or identity, as well as a district's history and geographic size, according to a new release from the commission.
Ontario's population has increased from 11,410,046 in 2001 to 12,851,821 in 2011, and the Commission is currently formulating a proposal for Ontario's 121 seats in the House of Commons to reflect the population growth and shifts.
Northern Ontario NDP MPs held a press conference in Sudbury in February in an effort to protect the 10 seats held in this part of the province. Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle introduced a private member's bill to keep the minimum number of seats at 10.
In 1995, northern Ontario had as many as 15 seats, and that number has been declining ever since, according to Gravelle. Northern NDP MPs are concerned even further reductions will result from the federal electoral boundary review.
The Ontario Commission will publish its proposal outlining the new electoral map in a few months, and public hearings will follow at various locations across the province. Advertisements in newspapers and on the Commission's website will notify Ontarians of the dates, time and place of these hearings where groups and individuals can participate in the process and share their opinions.
The public hearings and input from the electorate had a great impact on the electoral boundaries created by the last commission in 2002, according to the news release. The Commission is inviting citizens to participate in creating the initial proposal by providing comments by email or mail by April 30, 2012.
To learn more about the redistribution of Ontario's federal electoral districts, visit www.federal-redistribution.ca.
Posted by Arron Pickard
