Supreme Court Rejects Quebec Appeal on Electoral Map

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on April 22, 2026, to reject an appeal from the Quebec government, allowing a redesigned provincial electoral map to proceed despite efforts to halt it. The 7-2 decision, delivered from the bench in Ottawa, will eliminate one riding on the Gaspé Peninsula and another in Montreal's east end while creating two new districts in the population-growing Laurentians-Lanaudière and Centre-du-Québec regions.

The changes stem from a redistribution plan developed by Quebec's independent electoral boundaries commission to reflect shifting demographics. Under provincial election law, the map must be reviewed every two elections to ensure each of Quebec's 125 ridings represents roughly equal numbers of voters, addressing population growth in urban and suburban areas. The commission's proposal aimed to balance representation by reallocating seats from slower-growing regions like eastern Quebec to faster-expanding ones farther west.

In 2024, Premier François Legault's government introduced legislation to block the redrawing, prompted by concerns raised by members across all political parties. Lawmakers argued that eliminating the Gaspé riding would diminish the...