2021 Provincial Electoral Boundaries Commissions

Summary#

This proclamation (SI/2021-98), published in the Canada Gazette on November 24, 2021, formally creates an electoral boundaries commission for each province for the 2021 decennial census under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. It lists the three members (a chairperson and two other members) for each provincial commission in a schedule and confirms their appointments. The proclamation itself is dated November 1, 2021.

What it does#

• Establishes a three-member electoral boundaries commission for each province for the 2021 census period.
• Provides a schedule that names the chairperson and the two other members appointed to each provincial commission.
• Confirms the appointments were made following the roles described in the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act (for example, chairs are selected by provincial chief justices and the other two members by the Speaker of the House of Commons).
• Notes that, at the time of the proclamation, the Minister had not yet received the certified census return needed for the commissions to begin their technical work.

Who's affected#

• People who live in federal electoral districts across all provinces — boundary changes can change which riding you belong to.
• Political parties and federal candidates, because boundary changes can affect campaign plans and which voters are in each district.
• The individuals named in the schedule, since they are the appointed commissioners who will carry out the review.

Why it matters#

• These commissions are the bodies that review federal electoral boundaries after a census. Their work can change the lines of federal ridings and influence who represents a community in Parliament.
• The proclamation itself is an administrative step to put those review bodies in place. It does not by itself redraw any maps — the commissions must wait for the certified census data before doing the boundary review.