With the next election just months away, the government wants to increase the number of ridings in Quebec from 125 to 127.
It’s in response to the recent setback dealt to Quebec by the Supreme Court regarding electoral redistricting.
“This is the culmination of significant cross-party collaboration that will lead us to have, I believe, a map that truly reflects effective representation. We will be moving to 127 ridings,” said Jean-François Roberge, the minister responsible for democratic institutions, who tabled a bill to that effect Thursday morning.
The Liberal Party, Québec solidaire, and the Parti Québécois support the government’s bill, which hopes to be passed the same day.
Last week, the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec (DGEQ), Jean-François Blanchet, sounded the alarm, stating that adding two ridings just months before the election could “compromise the quality, or even the integrity, of the upcoming vote.”
Last month, the Supreme Court sided with the Quebec Electoral Representation Commission (CRÉ) in the debate over electoral redistricting.
The CRÉ proposed a new map that would have eliminated one riding in the Gaspé Peninsula and one in East Montreal. In return, two ridings would have been added, one in the Eastern Townships–Central Quebec region and the other in the Laurentians–Lanaudière region.
However, the political parties represented in the National Assembly opposed this redistricting.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
