Representation By Population: Southern Ontario

Canada Dept: The principle of voter equality is simple each vote has equal weight. This means that electoral districts should all have about the same population. This principle is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution and is usually referred to as representation by population, according to The Star. The votes of Canadians in many Southern Ontario communities like Brampton, Bramalea, Halton, Vaughan and Markham under the 2004 map that is slated to be replaced count for only half as much as the Canadian average and only a fifth of the votes of Canada's smaller ridings. These voters have had less say on the issues that affect their day-to-day lives and less power when it comes to determining who will get elected and who forms government and electoral boundaries commissions have been hard at work drawing new electoral maps that would be in place for the next federal election, expected in 2015. These maps will have a huge impact on the distribution of power for the next 10 years. The boundaries being proposed by the commissions represent a huge step toward voter equality in all provinces except in Ontario. Currently, Canada's federal electoral districts deviate from the rep-by-pop principle more than ever in our history and are increasingly out of step with other democracies. Small deviations are normal, but Canada has drifted too far from rep-by-pop. Under-represented Canadians are most likely to be found in the Greater Toronto Area, especially the 905, in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, and the B.C. Lower Mainland. They tend to be communities with high levels of immigration and ethnic diversity. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.