Bill C-14

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons Act

An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation)

Sponsor

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

This enactment amends section 51 of the Constitution Act, 1867 to provide that, when the number of members of the House of Commons and the representation of the provinces in that House are readjusted on the completion of each decennial census, a province will not have fewer members assigned to it than were assigned during the 43rd Parliament. It also includes transitional measures providing for the application of that amendment to the readjustment of electoral boundaries under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act following the 2021 decennial census.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-14s:

C-14 (2020) Law Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2020

C-14 (2020) Law COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2

C-14 (2016) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying)

C-14 (2013) Law Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act

Votes

May 17, 2022 Passed Time allocation for Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation)

Debate Summary

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-14 amends the Constitution Act of 1867 to ensure that no province has fewer seats in the House of Commons than it did in the 43rd Parliament. This updates the "grandfather clause," establishing a new minimum seat allocation based on 2021 levels rather than 1985. The bill aims to protect representation for smaller and slower-growing provinces, particularly Quebec, while allowing for incremental seat increases in faster-growing provinces.

Liberal

Protecting provincial representation: The Liberals propose amending the Constitution Act to ensure no province has fewer seats than it did in 2021, establishing a new "grandfather clause". This is to protect smaller, slower-growing provinces while still allowing larger provinces to gain seats due to population growth.
Maintaining Quebec's voice: A key motivation for the bill is to prevent Quebec from losing a seat, recognizing the importance of protecting the French language, culture, and identity within Canada. By guaranteeing Quebec 78 seats, the bill aims to maintain its strong voice in the House of Commons.
Support for independent process: The bill supports the independent electoral boundaries commissions, which redraw electoral boundaries in each province according to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. This process is described as predetermined, transparent, and designed to mitigate political advantage.
Consideration of House size: While supporting the bill, some members raise concerns about the increasing size of the House of Commons and its impact on parliamentary privilege and the ability of individual MPs to effectively represent their constituents, especially in large rural ridings. There are thoughts on capping the number of seats.

Conservative

Supports bill C-14: Conservative members expressed support for Bill C-14, noting it preserves the redistribution formula established by the Fair Representation Act in 2011 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. This Act added 30 seats to the House of Commons. It updates the baseline from 1985 to 2015 and ensures no province will have fewer seats than in the 43rd Parliament.
Effective representation matters: Conservatives believe that effective representation, as defined by the Supreme Court, is paramount. This means considering factors beyond population size, such as geography, communities of interest, and minority representation, to ensure diverse voices are heard and regions are fairly represented.
Representation by population: While emphasizing effective representation, Conservatives also advocate for representation by population, aiming to ensure that each Canadian's vote carries equal weight regardless of location. They acknowledge the impracticability of pure representation by population but strive for it to the greatest degree possible.
Concerns remain: Some Conservatives expressed concerns about the bill being a band-aid solution and the potential for future under-representation of faster-growing provinces like Alberta, B.C., and Ontario. They would also like to see reforms in other areas, such as the Senate, to provide better regional balance in Canadian government.

NDP

Supports guaranteed seats for Quebec: The NDP supports Bill C-14 because it guarantees a minimum of 78 seats for Quebec in the House of Commons, which they see as an important and fundamental principle. This position stems from negotiations with the Liberal government and aligns with the principle of minimum representation for provinces and territories.
Need for proportional representation: While supporting the bill, NDP members also advocate for proportional representation to ensure that the composition of the House of Commons accurately reflects the votes cast by Canadians. They point out that proportional representation would result in more NDP members and fewer members from other parties, better aligning with voter preferences.
Expand voting rights: The NDP supports lowering the voting age to 16, arguing that young people are already contributing to society and should have a voice in decisions that affect their future. They highlight the bill introduced by the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley and emphasize the importance of engaging young people in the democratic process.
Address democratic deficits: NDP members raised concerns about democratic deficits related to riding size, particularly in rural and northern regions, and the need to ensure fair access to MPs and government services for all citizens. They emphasized the importance of maintaining regional balance and diverse representation in Parliament.

Bloc

Bill C-14 inadequate: The Bloc Québécois believes Bill C-14, while seemingly a step in the right direction, ultimately fails to protect Quebec's political weight in the House of Commons, despite guaranteeing a minimum of 78 seats. Members argue that by not addressing the proportion of seats, the bill institutionalizes the minoritization of Quebec.
Focus on political weight: The Bloc emphasizes that the number of seats and political weight are not the same, and the bill's focus on preserving a set number of seats without addressing the proportion of Quebec's representation is insufficient. Members propose alternatives like the 'nation clause' to guarantee Quebec 25% of the seats in the House, reflecting its status as a nation.
Protecting Quebec's language: Members argue that decreasing Quebec's political weight will diminish its ability to defend the French language and culture. The Bloc accuses the Liberal government of hypocrisy, citing instances where federal members protested Quebec's language laws.
Historical perspective: The Bloc emphasizes the importance of historical context in understanding Quebec's unique position and the need to actively defend its political power. Members highlight the ongoing struggle to maintain Quebec's distinct identity and prevent assimilation.

Green

Supports the bill: The Green Party supports Bill C-14, finding it to be a reasonable piece of legislation with wide support from many parties.
Wants an evergreen bill: The party questions why the bill refers specifically to the 43rd Parliament and suggests creating an evergreen version to avoid repeating the process every 10 years after the census review.
Wants additional promises fulfilled: The Green party wants to see the promises made in the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement fulfilled by expanding election day to three days, allowing voting at any polling place within a district, and improving mail-in ballot processes.
Proportional representation: The party is disappointed that the bill does not address the need for proportional representation, which would ensure that every vote counts and lead to a more diverse, stable, and collaborative government.
Support Bill C-210: The Green Party encourages support for Bill C-210, which proposes reducing the voting age to 16 to engage young people in their future and ingrain good voting habits at a younger age.

Was this summary helpful and accurate?

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont

That is not a point of order.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

Green

Mike Morrice Green Kitchener Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is a nice change to see such strong agreement in this place among different parties. I am glad to see that.

I am rising to share something with the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent. He mentioned a few times, as some of his colleagues have, that a member of the Green Party, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, is in opposition to this motion. I want to let the member know that on that particular day, my understanding is that the reason for that was that consent was not shared beforehand, to seek that by email. We are working on that. That has been changed.

I am rising to let the member know that and to assure him, as he has been asking, that there was support from both Greens and we would appreciate being told about future UC motions.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry if I misled the House when I said that the member is coming from the Maritimes. I apologize and retract my words.

I do accept the explanation from my colleague. Obviously, there is some concern. I was there. I was just feet away from my colleague from the Green Party in British Columbia. I have a lot of respect for her. She is a strong voice for Canadian democracy and I hope that this time she will support the will that we had, as Conservatives, in tabling that very important motion. I remember she said no. I also remember that from other people on the other side. I am pleased to hear that the Green Party will support the spirit of our March 2 motion.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether my colleague agrees with me on the following. Quebec's political weight will drop if we keep the same number of members in Quebec and increase the number of members everywhere else.

Can we count on his support to change that?

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comment.

I would like to come back to the debate.

The motion that the Conservatives proposed would have applied to Quebec and all the provinces. However, in the March 2 debate, the Bloc Québécois suggested that the motion should apply only to Quebec.

We agreed with the principle, but we wanted it to apply to all of the provinces, which is the intent of Bill C‑14. We are therefore very pleased to see that the Liberals modelled this bill on our motion. That is great because it is good for all of Canada.

I would like to remind the member that that suggestion was made during the referendum on the Charlottetown accord. As the member knows very well, Quebeckers voted against it.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 1:55 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. My colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent has shown himself again to be a brilliant orator.

The Liberal Party has called on the Conservatives to expedite this matter, ostensibly because democracy demands it and that is the will. What does my colleague say to the fact that the Liberal Party has curtailed and cajoled debate in this House over the last two weeks in order to further its own aims, rather than having democracy as a whole in mind?

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 2 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, when we are talking about a democratic system, and that is exactly what we are talking about today, we shall respect the right of a member of Parliament to speak on an issue. That is what we are trying to have.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation), be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont

The next member to speak is the hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, but first we have a point of order from the deputy House leader for the official opposition.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

Conservative

Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 62, I move that the hon. member for Battle River—Crowfoot be now heard.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you could provide clarification regarding Motion No. 11 and whether we can have a recorded vote at this time.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont

It is not a dilatory motion and therefore it is in order.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.

Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons ActGovernment Orders

May 16th, 2022 / 6:55 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #93