More reform needed on Canadian electoral boundaries
A proposed redrawing of Canadian electoral boundaries still won’t give many areas, particularly Ontario, their fair share of clout in Parliament.
By: Michael Pal and Matthew Mendelsohn Published on Wed Sep 05 2012

Electoral boundaries commissions have been hard at work drawing new electoral maps that would be in place for the next federal election, expected in 2015. These maps will have a huge impact on the distribution of power for the next 10 years. The boundaries being proposed by the commissions represent a huge step toward voter equality in all provinces — except in Ontario.
The principle of voter equality is simple — each vote has equal weight. This means that electoral districts should all have about the same population. This principle is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution and is usually referred to as “representation by population.”
Currently, Canada’s federal electoral districts deviate from the rep-by-pop principle more than ever in our history and are increasingly out of step with other democracies. Small deviations are normal, but Canada has drifted too far from rep-by-pop. Under-represented Canadians are most likely to be found in the Greater Toronto Area, especially the 905, in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, and the B.C. Lower Mainland. They tend to be communities with high levels of immigration and ethnic diversity.
The votes of Canadians in many Southern Ontario communities like Brampton, Bramalea, Halton, Vaughan and Markham under the 2004 map that is slated to be replaced count for only half as much as the Canadian average and only a fifth of the votes of Canada’s smaller ridings. These voters have had less say on the issues that affect their day-to-day lives and less power when it comes to determining who will get elected and who forms government.
Last year, due to concerted pressure from the Ontario government, the federal government did its part and added new seats, with almost all of them going to the rapidly growing provinces of B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Ontario will receive 15 seats, while B.C. and Alberta will receive six each.
The proposed maps for the 2015 election stick closely to rep-by-pop in most provinces. Deviations no greater than 5-10 per cent are the norm in many provinces and in other democracies. None of Alberta’s 34 ridings deviates by more than 5 per cent from rep-by-pop. In B.C., all but 13 of 42 ridings are within 5 per cent of the provincial average, and only one remote riding is beyond 10 per cent.
Yet only about half of Ontario’s proposed 121 ridings are within 5 per cent of the provincial average. Twenty-five ridings deviate by more than 10 per cent, with seven of them deviating by more than 20 per cent.
Suburban, ethnically diverse ridings in the 905 that have been under-represented for years are better off than under previous maps, though still not at full equality. But there are also new trouble spots. Essex, Guelph, Kingston, Peterborough, Cambridge and many voters in Ottawa and Windsor, for example, are under-represented under the plan. Voters in these communities, as well as the 905, will only be worse off as their riding populations continue to rise.
Boundary commissions are now soliciting feedback from the public on their draft maps before setting final ones. These maps belong to Canadians and we have a right to let the commissions know our views. Unless they receive public input defending voter equality, the strong commitment that the commissions have demonstrated to voter equality in some provinces could be diluted following public consultations.
But the overall weak commitment in Ontario could be improved through public pressure. Commissions have a difficult job and the proposed Ontario boundaries are better than the current ones, especially for downtown Toronto. The Ontario commission should be complimented for taking seriously the concern of some communities that they have been under-represented, yet, overall, the Ontario map stands in stark contrast to the ridings proposed in other provinces. We encourage the Ontario commission to strike a different balance in its final map.
All Canadians are equal and their votes should have equal weight. Many of us have been working for voter equality for years. Now is our opportunity to re-double our efforts to defend the principle that all voters are equal.
Matthew Mendelsohn is director, and Michael Pal a fellow, at the Mowat Centre School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto. A website, www.voterequality.ca, has been launched to support Canadians who wish to engage in the boundary commission process.