HALIFAX: On January 24, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal concluded a 2012 change to Nova Scotia’s electoral boundaries violated Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by altering the electoral districts of Clare, Argyle and Richmond.
Cape Breton-Richmond MLA Michel Samson said the challenge now is figuring out what to do next.
“Our government accepts the decision by the court,” said Samson. “I have reached out as acting Minister of Justice and Minister of Acadian Affairs to [Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse president Ghislain Boudreau] to indicate we accept the decision. Our government will not be appealing the decision and we want to meet with the Acadian federation very soon to get an understanding of what their expectations are as to what should happen next and, more importantly, what’s a reasonable time frame to have those changes take place.”
On January 30, Samson said he planned to meet with La FANE to discuss the next steps in the process. He also said restarting the electoral boundary process with a new commission could take up to a year or longer.
La FANE stated the “inclusion of the protected electoral ridings of Clare, Argyle and Richmond within majority Anglophone ridings significantly reduced the possibility for the Acadians to elect a representative at the Legislative Assembly.”
“We are very pleased with the Court of Appeal’s decision and we sincerely thank our legal team for their excellent work,” stated Boudreau. “Now, in collaboration with the provincial government, we must discuss the best way to re-establish an effective Acadian representation in the Legislative Assembly.”
Following the decision, NDP Leader Gary Burrill issued a statement to the media.
“Our NDP government caucus grappled with this question and did our best to come up with a balanced and fair solution,” stated Burrill. “In what is a well-reasoned decision that must be respected, the court has ruled that our efforts were inadequate and in error. We accept this decision, and given the decision, our caucus calls on the government to immediately re-constitute the Electoral Boundaries Commission and rectify this situation before the next election.”
Progressive Conservative MLA Chris d’Entremont also issued a statement noting the next provincial election must include fair and constitutional boundaries.
“I congratulate the Acadian Federation of Nova Scotia on their victory,” stated d’Entremont. “Their perseverance and commitment have resulted in a meaningful step forward for our Acadian, African-Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq communities. The Progressive Conservative caucus is prepared to support the government in striking a commission whose terms of reference are fair, equitable and drafted collaboratively by all political parties represented in the House of Assembly.”