Teresa MacNeil says the Nova Scotia Electoral Boundaries Commission will take a few days before deciding its next move. (CBC)

The chair of Nova Scotia's Electoral Boundaries Commission says the group needs time to consider its next steps after the government rejected its interim report.

The commission's job is to redraw Nova Scotia's electoral map.

But Thursday, the NDP government sent the commission a letter officially rejecting its work, and demanding a new interim report that reflects its mandate.

The letter was signed by Attorney General Ross Landry.

"It's a very precise message," said Commission Chair Teresa MacNeil. "We need time as a commission, because you will appreciate we live all over the province, to consider how we will respond to this."

At issue is the commission's recommendation to preserve four small ridings to ensure fair representation for Acadian and African-Nova Scotians. The ridings are Argyle, Clare, Richmond and Preston.

But the Dexter government said the recommendation violates the commission's mandate to make sure all ridings have a similar number of voters.

Now that they've been told their report is null and void, MacNeil said it will be up to each board member to decide whether to resign or go back to the drawing board.

"I cannot speak for the members of the commission, I really want to wait until we meet around the table and decide that."

The commission was supposed to hold public hearings later this month.

MacNeil said if they agree to rewrite their interim report, those hearings will have to be delayed – making it difficult to meet their final deadline of August 31.