WHEREAS the Electoral Boundaries Commission has recently recommended reducing the number of electoral ridings in some parts of rural BC, including the north; AND WHEREAS a reduction in the number of rural ridings would result in the creation of some of the largest electoral ridings, not only in the Province of BC but also in Canada, and the size of these new ridings would challenge the constitutionality of such a change for its failure to address fair representation: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM petition the Province to table any final report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission that is not consistent with resolution LR1 until such time as a full review of the Act is complete, with the intent of determining the maximum geographical distance that a riding should entail so as to ensure the principle of fair representation for those living across a vast region.
MINISTRY OF ATTORNEY GENERAL On October 24, 2007, the government introduced Bill 39, the Electoral Boundaries Commission Amendment Act 2007. The bill would have directed the Electoral Boundaries Commission to retain the existing number of electoral districts in regions identified in its preliminary report as the North, Cariboo-Thompson and Columbia-Kootenay, and to recommend boundaries for a total of 87 electoral districts. The bill was not passed during the session, so the Commission will be completing its work based on its original mandate. Government remains committed to ensuring effective representation for all regions of the province, and will await the final report of the Commission before taking further action.