(Piedmont) The government’s decision to postpone the reform of the provincial electoral map arouses the discontent of the prefects of the Laurentians, who affirm that maintaining the current map until 2030 will harm the principle of the equal weight of a voter for the citizens of their region.
Last fall, the Commission on Electoral Representation presented a proposal to revise the electoral map which eliminated a constituency in Gaspésie and one in Eastern Montreal. On the other hand, two other constituencies would see the light of day: Marie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie, in Centre-du-Québec, and Bellefeuille, in the Laurentians.
In February, several deputies, from all parties, denounced this proposed revision. They deplored the fact that Gaspésie was gradually losing its political weight, and that the size of the constituencies was becoming disproportionate.
At the end of March, the Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions, Jean-François Roberge, accepted the opposition parties’ request to postpone the reform of the electoral map.
The government will therefore soon table a bill in order to keep the current electoral map for the 2026 elections. It will subsequently launch a reflection on the criteria to be taken into account to establish the next map, which will not be in force until ‘in 2030.
In a press release published Monday morning, the seven prefects of the Laurentians, as well as the mayor of Mirabel, denounced this choice of the government.
“The Electoral Representation Commission, which must be an independent institution, has carried out rigorous work through analyzes and consultations. “It has submitted a project to restore the democratic weight of two regions experiencing significant demographic growth, the Laurentians and Centre-du-Québec,” raised the prefect of the MRC of La Rivière-du-Nord and mayor. de Saint-Colomban, Xavier-Antoine Lalande.
“By putting aside the project to revise the electoral map, the provincial elected officials do not take into account the values which motivate the work of the commission which is summed up by impartiality, independence, fairness, transparency, “listening and competence,” said the man who is also vice-president of the Council of prefects and elected officials of the Laurentides region.
The prefects of the Laurentides recalled that by 2030, population gaps are likely to continue to widen between regions. In their opinion, it will become difficult for the Electoral Representation Commission to maintain the fundamental principle of the equal weight of a voter.
“Backtracking (on reform) would mean not only widening the gap between regions and large urban centers, but also between regions. Maintaining this avenue would accentuate the under-representation of citizens from the regions of Quebec in the National Assembly, particularly those from our region, whose population has increased very significantly in recent years,” added the prefect of the MRC des Laurentides and mayor of Brébeuf, Marc L’Heureux, who is also vice-president of the Council of prefects and elected officials of the Laurentides region.
The revision of the electoral map is carried out so that Quebec is divided into 125 constituencies of approximately 51,000 voters which have, as much as possible, common characteristics.
The law provides for a review after two general elections, since population movements create inequalities in representation.