A victory today for Acadian communities in Nova Scotia.
The province’s highest court ruled that changes made to electoral boundaries in 2012 violate a section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The ridings of Clare, Argyle and Richmond were merged with neighbouring English ridings.
That prompted the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse to seek legal action, because they felt chances of Acadian representation in the legislature were greatly reduced.
FANE President Ghislain Boudreau says the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal determined the NDP government did not have the right to interfere with the independent Electoral Boundaries Commission.
“The Attorney General at the time notified the commission that they had not adhered to the guidelines that had been set forth. Therefore, all that area was decided that is was not admissible. We’re quite happy that this decision was made by the Court of Appeal.”
Despite the decision, there is no guarantee the electoral map will be re-drawn again.
Boudreau says the federation will be meeting with Acadian Affairs Minister Michel Samson over the next few weeks to discuss next steps.
