Executive Council
Justice and Public Safety
June 8, 2015

Supporting Electoral Reform

Premier Releases Report of Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today released the report of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission related to the review of the province's electoral boundaries and a reduction in the number of electoral districts from 48 to 40. The report, due by June 9, was provided to the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, this morning and will be tabled in the House of Assembly later today.

"I thank the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission for the significant work they have completed over the past several months. The commission successfully consulted with residents across the province and have presented an independent, comprehensive report that will inform important debate in the coming days in the House of Assembly. I look forward to debating amendments to the House of Assembly Act with an aim of adopting the new electoral districts proposed by the commission and setting the provincial election date to November 30, 2015. This revised date will avoid an overlap with October's federal election and allow Elections Newfoundland and Labrador enough time to prepare."
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

Members of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission were appointed in February and immediately began work on dividing the province into 40 new electoral districts based on the requirements of the Electoral Boundaries Act which was amended in January 2015. The commission held consultation sessions in 12 communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and received approximately 185 submissions from the public.

"This is an important step in reshaping the province's electoral boundaries and I will be pleased to table this report in the House of Assembly today. All members will have an opportunity to debate the proposed changes when amendments to the House of Assembly Act based on this report are introduced early this week. I commend the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission for their work and I also thank the public for participating in this process and providing valuable input."
- The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Justice and Public Safety

Amendments to the House of Assembly Act are required to:

• Implement the recommendations of the 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission;
• Set November 30, 2015, as the date for the next general election;
• Establish a mechanism for resolving future overlaps between provincial and federal elections; and
• Provide an exception to the requirement to hold by-elections where a seat in the House becomes vacant within six months of a general election.

Once the report is tabled in the House of Assembly, printed copies will be available by calling the Department of Justice and Public Safety at 709-729-5942. The report will also be available online www.justice.gov.nl.ca/just/publications.

QUICK FACTS

• The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today released the report of the Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission related to the review of the province's electoral boundaries and a reduction in the number of electoral districts from 48 to 40.
• The report will be tabled in the House of Assembly today (June 8, 2015) and relevant amendments to the House of Assembly Act will be introduced later this week.
• Premier Davis also announced that the date of the upcoming provincial election will be November 30, 2015. This will avoid an overlap with October's federal election and allow Elections Newfoundland and Labrador enough time to prepare.
• Once the report is tabled in the House of Assembly, printed copies will be available by calling the Department of Justice and Public Safety at 709-729-5942. The report will also be available online www.justice.gov.nl.ca/just/publications.

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Media contacts:

Heather MacLean Director of Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3581 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca	Donna Ivey Special Assistant, Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3551, 699-2402 donnaivey@gov.nl.ca
Luke Joyce Director of Communications Department of Justice and Public Safety 709-729-6985, 725-4165 lukejoyce@gov.nl.ca

2015 06 08                              12:50 p.m.