An Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission has been appointed to review the province’s electoral boundaries in advance of the next scheduled general provincial election, to be held in October of 2024.

The commission has been tasked with redrawing the boundaries of New Brunswick’s 49 electoral ridings ensuring that the number of electors in each electoral district is as close as reasonably possible to the electoral quotient.

The electoral quotient is determined by dividing the total number of electors in all electoral districts in the Province, as determined by the register of electors established under the Elections Act, by the total number of electoral districts.

When dividing the Province into electoral districts, the Commission may depart from the principle of voter parity in order to achieve effective representation of the electorate as guaranteed by section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and based upon the following considerations:

(a) communities of interest;
(b) local government and other administrative boundaries;
(c) the rate of population growth in a region;
(d) effective representation of rural areas;
(e) geographical features, including the following:

(i) the accessibility of a region;
(ii) the size of a region; and
(iii) the shape of a region; and

(f) any other considerations that the Commission considers appropriate.

The commission held public hearings throughout the province in late August and early September gathering feedback from citizens on the existing electoral districts and potential recommendations of changes to the 49 electoral districts.

The commission will release a preliminary report in mid-December with proposals of new electoral boundaries and then conduct a second round of public hearings, starting in late December, to hear representations on the recommendations contained in its preliminary report.

The commission shall prepare a final report within 90 days after filing a preliminary report.