Representation by Population in the House of Commons

Representation by Population in the House of Commons covers the history of the methods through which section 51 of the Constitution Act, 1867 has allocated MPs in the House of Commons to the provinces based on their populations. The book also looks at the history of gerrymandering, the origin of independent federal electoral boundaries commissions, and contrasting theories of what political representation means. Electoral politics expert James W.J. Bowden approaches the topic systematically, measuring the malapportionment of each decade from the 1860s to the 2020s using the Loosemore-Hanby Index, rating each of the seven representation formulas under section 51 accordingly, and suggesting how Parliament could amend this formula to lower the malapportionment of MPs per province. While Parliament could lower malapportionment on its own, only a constitutional amendment under the unanimous procedure could eliminate it entirely. Consequently, Ontarians, Albertans, and British Columbians will continue to count for less than Canadians in the other seven provinces. Bowden shows that achieving agreement on the nature of representation has proved impossible for Canadians, who must now muddle through malapportionment and disproportionality, continuously tinkering with incremental changes at the margins while avoiding radical reforms. This book provides essential context for understanding the past, present, and future of representation in the House of Commons.