Nova Scotia bill for protected Acadian riding fails to address voter parity: business group

A bill that would allow the Nova Scotia government to carve out a protected riding for the Acadian region of Chéticamp passed the committee stage Monday without changes, despite voter parity concerns raised by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.The legislation is in response to a Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruling in November that said the Charter rights related to voting and the electoral representation of Acadians in northwestern Cape Breton were violated when the community wasn’t considered for protected riding status in 2019.The bill would allow the government to appoint a special electoral boundaries commission to create a fourth protected riding for the Acadians, after the court said that Chéticamp and surrounding areas represent a cultural community of interest.