1.0 Introduction
In 2021, Canadians voted to elect a Parliament with 338 members. A few years later, in the 2025 elections, there were 343 Members of Parliament (MP) to be elected. Each of those members represents a specific geographic area called an electoral district. In this section, we will examine the different types of electoral districts used in legislative and executive elections.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Recall the different types of electoral districts
- Differentiate between single-member and multi-member districts
- Describe different options for drawing district boundaries
- Explain which factors are considered when drawing district boundaries
Things We Need to Know
In this chapter, you can expect to encounter the following terms/concepts:
- District magnitude
- Representation by population
- Redistricting
- Gerrymandering
You may hear other words used in place of electoral district. You may hear the terms riding or constituency used to describe electoral districts. Both terms are appropriate and may be used interchangeably.
