The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal by the Government of Quebec seeking to stop planned changes to the province’s electoral boundaries, clearing the way for a major redraw of the provincial map.
In a 7-2 ruling delivered from the bench, the court upheld earlier decisions that found Quebec’s attempt to halt the redistribution unconstitutional.
The decision means one electoral district on the Gaspé Peninsula and another in eastern Montreal will be eliminated. In their place, two new ridings will be created in the fast-growing regions of Laurentians / Lanaudière and Centre-du-Québec.
The controversy began after the province’s independent electoral boundaries commission recommended changes based on population growth and voter distribution. The goal was to better balance representation across Quebec’s 125 ridings.
However, Premier François Legault’s government introduced legislation in 2024 to block the changes after politicians from multiple parties raised concerns that eastern Quebec would lose political influence and that some rural ridings would become too large geographically.
Lower courts later struck down that law, ruling it violated constitutional protections tied to effective democratic representation under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Supreme Court has now agreed, reinforcing the principle that electoral maps must adapt to demographic realities while preserving fair representation.
Following the decision, the provincial government signalled it is not giving up politically. Christine Fréchette said Quebec’s democratic institutions minister will introduce new legislation in collaboration with opposition parties aimed at protecting the ridings now slated for elimination.
The ruling is being viewed as a significant precedent for electoral fairness in Canada, underscoring that governments cannot simply override independent boundary reviews when constitutional voting rights are at stake.