Overview – Saskatchewan
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Saskatchewan (the Commission) has been established pursuant to the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. E-3 (the Act). The Commission is an independent, three-member body responsible for defining the sizes, boundaries, and names of the federal electoral districts within the Province of Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan's representation in the House of Commons is 14 members, which means that the Province must be divided into 14 electoral districts. The 2021 Census, as determined by Statistics Canada, provides the basis for the redistribution of electoral districts under the Act. Between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, based on the data made available to the Commission at the time of drafting this Proposal, Saskatchewan's population count increased from 1,033,381 to 1,132,505footnote 1. This is an increase of 99,124, which must be accommodated within Saskatchewan's 14 electoral districts. The population of the Province, divided by 14, gives an electoral quota for each electoral district of 80,893.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act, the Commission proposes that the population of the Province of Saskatchewan be divided between the 14 electoral districts as illustrated by the maps set out in this Proposal. As will be demonstrated, apart from the electoral district of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, only one district departs from the electoral quota by more than 10%.
In brief terms, the Commission is suggesting at this time that some change may be needed to accommodate the large geographical areas with less population in the province. In particular, the extraordinary circumstances of the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River electoral district may justify a significant variation from the electoral quota. In addition, the electoral districts of Yorkton—Melville and Souris—Moose Mountain are not made as large as strict adherence to the electoral quota might demand.
By way of further recognition of the large geographical areas covered by Cypress Hills—Grasslands and, to some extent, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, the Committee is proposing a possible reconfiguration of both of these electoral districts to establish two electoral districts running east and west rather than north and south. These districts would be named Kindersley—Rosetown and Moose Jaw—Swift Current—Grasslands.
The Commission is also proposing a reconfiguration of the Saskatoon electoral districts. In response to submissions and in recognition of the significant growth in that city, the Commission is proposing (a) a reconfigured Saskatoon electoral district that includes the communities of Warman, Martensville, and Humboldt in an electoral district to be known as Saskatoon—Wanuskewin; (b) a core urban electoral district to be known as Saskatoon Centre; and (c) an adjustment of the Grasswood suburban electoral district to include some neighbourhoods that are presently in the Saskatoon West electoral district.
As with all of the proposed changes within this document, the Commission seeks the public's input. After holding public hearings and receiving written and oral submissions with respect to the Proposal, the Commission will prepare a final report, which will be published in the fall of 2022. The Commission stresses the importance of public participation during this process.
A copy of the Proposal may be obtained from the Commission free of charge on request. Requests may be submitted to the Commission by mail or email. Contact information is provided in the Notice of Representation section.
The maps at the end of the Proposal show the boundaries of the proposed electoral districts. The following table shows the 14 districts, the population in each district, the percentage by which the population departs from the electoral quota in each district, the percentage by which the population departs from the electoral quota in each district if the population of the northern electoral district is excluded from the calculation, and finally the land area of each of the electoral districts.
| 2022 Proposed Federal Electoral Districts | Population | Variation from Electoral Quota 80,893 | Variation from Reference Quota (excluding population of northern district) 83,613 | Area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | 45,524 | -43.72% | -45.55% | 313,246 |
| Battlefords—Lloydminster | 83,815 | 3.62% | 0.25% | 37,542 |
| Prince Albert | 85,344 | 5.50% | 2.07% | 26,263 |
| Saskatoon—Wanuskewin | 83,562 | 3.29% | -0.07% | 19,301 |
| Saskatoon Centre | 89,092 | 10.09% | 6.51% | 43 |
| Saskatoon—University | 85,188 | 5.31% | 1.88% | 83 |
| Saskatoon—Grasswood | 80,704 | -0.19% | -3.44% | 494 |
| Kindersley—Rosetown | 78,525 | -2.93% | -6.09% | 61,099 |
| Regina—Qu'Appelle | 85,914 | 6.20% | 2.75% | 6,236 |
| Regina—Lewvan | 84,347 | 4.26% | 0.87% | 83 |
| Regina—Wascana | 85,642 | 5.90% | 2.46% | 53 |
| Yorkton—Melville | 78,865 | -2.50% | -5.68% | 56,148 |
| Moose Jaw—Swift Current—Grasslands | 85,464 | 5.66% | 2.22% | 58,356 |
| Souris—Moose Mountain | 80,519 | -0.46% | -3.70% | 53,098 |
| Total | 1,132,505 |
Footnotes
Return to footnote 1 All population figures are based on the May 11, 2021, census numbers, which are the only actual numbers available at the time of the writing of this Proposal, i.e. April, 2022.