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“The legislation is fair for all provinces and it moves every single Canadian closer to representation by population,”he said. “It strikes the right balance and it provides the most fair, practical and accurate way to move toward . . . fairer representation.”

A Liberal counter-proposal to reduce seats in some provinces, rather than add seats, was attacked by the government. The NDP rejected both proposals, called for the abolishment of the Senate and suggested that the savings be invested in greater elected representation.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House of Commons Tuesday that his government has wanted to add seats to the Commons since 2004. He rejected opposition calls to revise the legislation.

“This party supports it and we are proud of that,” Harper said.

The Conservatives propose to add 15 seats in Ontario, six each in British Columbia and Alberta — which are under-represented in the House — and three in Quebec.

No province will lose seats under the bill.

Uppal said that the process to add MPs and readjust electoral boundaries will begin Feb. 8, 2012. The changes would become official in time for the next election, which is expected to take place in 2015.

The cost to Canadian taxpayers will be an estimated $14.8 million annually to accommodate the 30 new MPs.

Changing the number of seats in the House of Commons and redrawing political boundaries has long been a sensitive topic among politicians.

In 1994, the former Reform party used its first filibuster to hold up passage of a vote to kill a process to redraw boundaries every 10 years. At the time, Harper, then a Reform MP, attacked the move and said that the Liberal government should at least cap the number of MPs at 295.

The Constitution states that no province can have fewer seats in the Commons than it does in the Senate, and that the minimum number of seats in Quebec must be 75.

A “grandfather clause” passed in 1985 ensured provinces could not lose seats in any redistribution.

Postmedia News