Quebec’s electoral landscape has been reshaped in anticipation of the upcoming provincial election, resulting in the Gaspésie area and Montreal Island losing one electoral district each. Conversely, the rapidly expanding Laurentians and Centre-du-Québec regions will each gain a seat. Overall, 51 out of Quebec’s 125 electoral districts have been adjusted on the new map to account for population changes.
The Commission de la représentation électorale (CRE), an independent body responsible for the electoral map, made these changes to better align with shifting demographics. The revised boundaries were officially announced in the Gazette officielle du Québec on Wednesday, despite efforts by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to maintain the existing setup.
Key alterations include the addition of new electoral districts in the Laurentians and Centre-du-Québec regions. The Laurentians will see the creation of a new district called Bellefeuille to accommodate population growth north of Montreal, while Centre-du-Québec will gain a new district named Marie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie located south of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City.
Conversely, Montreal will lose one electoral district in the east end, leading to the consolidation of the former Anjou–Louis-Riel, LaFontaine, and Pointe-aux-Trembles districts into two new districts: Anjou-LaFontaine and Pointe-aux-Prairies. Additionally, the Gaspésie region will merge the Gaspé and Bonaventure districts.
The decision to reduce representation in the Gaspésie region and eastern Montreal faced opposition when initially proposed in 2023. Despite a law passed by all four parties in the National Assembly last year to halt the redistricting process, the Quebec Court of Appeal later ruled the law unconstitutional due to concerns about unequal voter representation.
Following the court ruling, the CRE finalized the new electoral map. However, the CAQ government sought to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, aiming to maintain the current map for the upcoming provincial election. The Attorney General of Quebec is now requesting the Supreme Court to consider an appeal by April 15, despite the usual lengthy process for the court to decide on hearing cases.
Municipal officials from the Laurentians, along with leaders from Laval, Outaouais, Eastern Townships, and Centre-du-Québec regions, led a legal challenge against the government’s attempt to freeze the electoral map, arguing that their communities were inadequately represented.