Nearly all of Manitoba's 14 federal ridings are adjusted in the report tabled in Parliament on Dec. 3 by that province's boundary commission.
Winnipeg South and Winnipeg South Centre would exchange some territory to allow for expected population growth in the former riding. Saint Boniface--Saint Vital would also take in additional territory from Winnipeg South.
MAP: Manitoba ridings
MAP: Winnipeg
Winnipeg North would take in some neighbourhoods from Kildonan—St. Paul. Provencher, the most populous riding in the province, would give territory to neighbouring Portage-Lisgar. And the newly-renamed Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa would take in more southern communities.
Further north, the Churchill riding (to be renamed Churchill—Keewatinook Aski) will grow even larger by taking six Interlake First Nation communities from Selkirk-Interlake, which has the second-highest population. Current Churchill MP Niki Ashton objected to adding more territory, but did not convince the commissioners.
Only two ridings were left untouched, both in the provincial capital: Charleswood--St. James--Assiniboia and Winnipeg Centre.
The commission rejected a contentious request to transfer sections of Elmwood--Transcona to Winnipeg Centre.
Manitoba’s population has reached 1,208,268, an eight-per-cent increase over the past decade. That’s an average of 86,305 per riding.
THE PROCESS
Independent commissions were established in each province to consider the electoral map based on the 2011 census. Thirty new ridings are also being created in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta.
Commissioners, appointed by each province's chief justice and the Speaker of the House of Commons, consider geography, history, and population in crafting their proposed boundary changes. Public hearings followed, along with future study by a parliamentary committee for any comments and objections.
From the Manitoba commission report: "MPs will have a further opportunity to offer suggestions on the map within a committee of the House of Commons, but the final decision rests with the Commission."
The final map is provided to the Chief Electoral Officer. The three territories will continue to hold one seat each.
THE LEGISLATION
The formula for determining seats has been adjusted several times since Confederation. Notably, no province can have fewer MPs than Senators, and no province can have fewer seats than they had in 1976.
The opposition NDP proposed their own bill to ensure that Quebec's proportion would remain at the same level (24.35 per cent) as 2006, when the Québécois nation resolution passed. Under Bill C-20, Quebec's proportion of seats falls to 23.08 per cent of the House of Commons.
The Liberals, meanwhile, were worried about the transparency of the electoral commissions and how individuals would be appointed. They opposed both the Conservative and NDP bills, calling for a rebalance of the Commons without any additional seats.
Latest Comments