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Supreme Court rejects Quebec’s attempt to block changes to election map boundaries
The 7-2 ruling keeps the revised map in place, shifting 51 ridings after courts found Quebec’s blocking law violated democratic rights.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected Quebec's appeal, allowing the province's revised electoral map to take effect as planned.
The Commission modified 51 of 125 ridings to ensure roughly equal voter numbers, but the Coalition Avenir Québec government passed legislation to block these changes, citing regional representation concerns.
In a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled the government's attempt to freeze the map violated Charter guarantees of democratic representation, eliminating one riding on the Gaspé Peninsula and one in Montreal.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette announced her government will table a new bill with opposition parties to protect the ridings of Anjou-Louis-Riel and Bonaventure. "For me, it is absolutely essential that all regions of Quebec are well represented," Fréchette said.
A coalition of municipal officials from the Laurentians, Laval, the Outaouais, and the Eastern Townships led the legal challenge against the freeze. The revised map will apply to the provincial election scheduled for this fall.