Quebec electoral map must be redrawn before 2026 vote, Court of Appeal rules

Quebec’s electoral map will have to be redrawn by October 2026, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

In a decision released Monday, the court concluded that Bill 59, which suspended the work of the Electoral Representation Commission (CRE), is unconstitutional.

All four parties represented in the National Assembly voted in favour of the bill in May 2024.

The revision proposal presented by the CRE in 2023 would have eliminated one riding in Gaspésie and another in east-end Montreal. Two new ridings were also set to be created: Marie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie in the Centre-du-Québec region, and Bellefeuille in the Laurentians.

Several MNAs from all parties had argued that Gaspésie was gradually losing political influence and that the size of its ridings had become disproportionate.

Under Quebec law, the electoral map must be revised after two general elections, as population shifts create imbalances in representation.

The revision aims to divide Quebec into 125 ridings of roughly 51,000 electors each, sharing common characteristics as much as possible.

In March 2024, the CRE announced that it intended to continue its work, saying the criteria in the Election Act were legitimate and democratic. “The process of drawing the electoral map must be independent and impartial,” spokesperson Julie St-Arnaud-Drolet said at the time.

The Council of Prefects and Elected Officials of the Laurentides region (CPERL) later challenged Bill 59 in court, arguing the Laurentians were underrepresented in Quebec City.

Superior Court rejected the challenge, but the Court of Appeal has now sided with the CPERL.

“Not only are the communities of Estrie–Centre-du-Québec and Laurentides–Lanaudière seeing their vote significantly diluted to the benefit of other ridings, (…) but maintaining this dilution results from an effort to bypass the independent process set out in the Election Act,” the 23-page decision states.

The ruling opens the door for the CRE to present a revised report to lawmakers before Christmas. The parliamentary session ends Dec. 12.

– This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews