MONTREAL -- Opponents to Quebec’s electoral map will be heard in court on Dec. 3 and 4.
The group made up of past and present politicians as well as citizens say changes to west-end ridings reduce Montreal’s voting power.
In 2017, Outremont and Mont-Royal ridings were merged and the D’Arcy McGee riding was modified.
The group argues this reduces Montreal’s voting influence compared to some rural ridings in Quebec.
“Ridings can have as few as 33,000 voters and as many as almost 61,000,” said Snowdon city councillor Marvin Rotrand. “Yet despite that for no legal basis at all, there are six ridings in this province that have between 26 and 44 per cent fewer voters than the average.”
The group says these changes have divided communities and reduced the Anglophone voice.
“The ethnic and visible minorities that make up this island have far less of a voice in the national assembly than they used to,” said Rotrand. “In fact, this is a phenomenon that's existed over the last number of revisions. Montreal has far fewer ridings than it used to.”
