Fair Representation Act | |
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Parliament of Canada | |
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Considered by | Parliament of Canada |
Assented to | December 16, 2011 |
Legislative history | |
Bill title | C-20 |
Introduced by | Tim Uppal |
Amends | |
Related legislation | |
Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons Act | |
Status: Repealed |
The Fair Representation Act (French: Loi sur la représentation équitable) was an act of the Parliament of Canada and was passed by the 41st Canadian Parliament in 2011.[1][2] The Act was introduced as Bill C-20 with the long title An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867, the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act and the Canada Elections Act.[3]
The legislation amended the Constitution Act, 1867 and modified the redistricting process contained within it.[4] Amendments affecting proportionate representation between the provinces, require support of seven provinces representing at least 50% of the population of Canada. Because the Fair Representation Act did not affect the proportionate representation of the provinces, it was passed without approval of the provinces.[4] The legislation could be passed by the Parliament of Canada alone, under section 44 of the Constitution Act, 1982.[4]
In 2012, the federal electoral redistribution was conducted using the amended formula introduced by the Fair Representation Act. It increased the number of MPs in the most populous provinces: Quebec gained three, Ontario gained 15, British Columbia gained six and Alberta gained six.[2]
The 2022 federal electoral redistribution began under the formula created by the Act, but in March 2022 the House of Commons rejected the allocation it produced.[5][6] As a result, the government introduced the Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons Act.[5][7] The Act received royal assent on June 23, 2022, repealing the constitutional amendments made by the Fair Representation Act.[8]
A message was received informing the Commons that on June 23, 2022, at 10:28 p.m., Her Excellency the Governor General signified royal assent by written declaration to the following bills: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation) — Chapter No. 6;