Overview – Saskatchewan
The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Saskatchewan (the Commission) was 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 that is responsible for defining the sizes, boundaries and names of the federal electoral districts within the Province of Saskatchewan.
The Hon. Georgina Jackson, judge of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan, is the chair of the Commission. The other members are Dr. Bonita Beatty, Department Head of Indigenous Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, and Professor Mark Carter, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan. According to a process outlined in the Act, Dr. Beatty and Professor Carter were appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Justice Jackson was appointed by the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. The Commission has been assisted throughout by Ms. Marlene Rodie as the Commission secretary and Ms. Erin Moseley-Williams as the geomatics specialist.
This is the Commission's report filed pursuant to subsection 20(1) of the Act. Earlier this year, the Commission released a proposal (the Proposal), which formed the basis of public hearings held pursuant to section 19 of the Act.
Saskatchewan's representation in the House of Commons is 14 members, which means that the province must be divided into 14 electoral districts (also called "ridings" or "constituencies"). The 2021 census, as determined by Statistics Canada, provides the basis for the redistribution of electoral districts under the Act.
Between the 2011 and the 2021 censuses, Saskatchewan's population count increased from 1,033,381 to 1,132,505. 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 has established the boundaries of the 14 districts as shown in the maps set out in this report. As will be demonstrated, apart from the electoral district of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, no riding departs significantly from the electoral quota.
In an effort to avoid enlarging Cypress Hills—Grasslands, the Commission, in its Proposal, explored the possibility of reorienting that riding from a north-south orientation to one that would run east-west. Following public consultation, the Commission concluded that the present north-south configuration of this riding should be maintained, notwithstanding the increased territorial size that will result. This riding will now be known as Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley. As with all decisions in the readjustment process, this decision has implications for other ridings and, in particular, Battlefords—Lloydminster and Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.
Specifically, the Commission concluded that the extraordinary circumstances of the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River electoral district justify a significant variation from the electoral quota, which determines the northerly boundary of what will now be known as Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake. As its name indicates, this riding will include the Rural Municipality (RM) of Meadow Lake and the City of Meadow Lake. As will be explained in this report, the decisions made in relation to Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake and Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River are intertwined and have implications for almost all the other ridings.
In its Proposal, the Commission also suggested the possibility of creating a Saskatoon Centre riding. This would have necessitated the creation of an additional blended urban-rural riding, which in the Proposal was called Saskatoon—Wanuskewin. After receiving submissions with respect to both these proposed ridings, this Commission decided against the creation of a central urban riding in Saskatoon. That decision removed the necessity of creating the new, blended urban-rural riding of Saskatoon—Wanuskewin. In that regard, the Commission affirmed its decision not to divide municipalities or to extend beyond city limits unless it was necessary to serve some other purpose under the Act. With the making of the decisions in relation to both those ridings, and the readjustment of the boundaries of the existing riding of Saskatoon—Grasswood in a manner that follows the city limits, it became necessary to change the name of that riding to Saskatoon South.
In the Maps of Current and Proposed Electoral Boundaries section, individual maps are provided, showing each district in relation to adjacent ridings and indicating how the Commission has changed the boundaries since the 2013 Representation Order. A map of the province, with all the boundaries of the new electoral districts, and individual maps for each of Regina and Saskatoon, are provided in the Appendix at the end of the report.
The following table shows the 14 districts, the population of each, the percentage by which the population departs from the electoral quota in each district, the percentage by which the population departs from the "reference quota" and the territorial size of each district. The "reference quota" is derived by excluding Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River from the calculation of the electoral quota. In plain terms, if a district or districts are under the electoral quota, other districts will have to be over the quota. It is this principle that informs the concept of the "reference quota."
| 2022 Federal Electoral District | Population | Variation from Electoral Quota 80,893 | Variation from Reference Quota (Excluding Population of Northern District) 84,205 | Area (km2)footnote 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (extraordinary circumstances) | 37,845 | -53.22% | -55.06% | 326,256 |
| Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake | 83,248 | 2.91% | -1.14% | 37,373 |
| Prince Albert | 88,521 | 9.43% | 5.13% | 28,622 |
| Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek | 84,111 | 3.98% | -0.11% | 24,758 |
| Saskatoon West | 87,865 | 8.62% | 4.35% | 111 |
| Saskatoon—University | 88,714 | 9.67% | 5.35% | 72 |
| Saskatoon South | 89,562 | 10.72% | 6.36% | 54 |
| Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan | 83,319 | 3.00% | -1.05% | 41,483 |
| Regina—Qu’Appelle | 87,014 | 7.57% | 3.34% | 10,962 |
| Regina—Lewvan | 85,818 | 6.09% | 1.92% | 84 |
| Regina—Wascana | 89,063 | 10.10% | 5.77% | 54 |
| Yorkton—Melville | 76,531 | -5.39% | -9.11% | 50,075 |
| Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley | 75,686 | -6.44% | -10.12% | 83,430 |
| Souris—Moose Mountain | 75,208 | -7.03% | -10.68% | 48,872 |
| Total | 1,132,505 | 652,206 |
Public Hearings
The Commission was required by subsection 19(1) of the Act to hold at least one sitting to hear representations by interested persons with respect to the proposed electoral districts. For this purpose, the Commission held public hearings at the following locations:
| Location | Place of Hearing | Date of Hearing |
|---|---|---|
| Saskatoon | Sheraton Cavalier | Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21, 2022 |
| Prince Albert | Best Western Premier | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 |
| La Ronge | Kikinahk Friendship Centre | Friday, June 24, 2022 |
| Meadow Lake | Flying Dust Community Centre | Monday, June 27, 2022 |
| North Battleford | Don Ross Centre | Tuesday, June 28, 2022 |
| Kindersley | Royal Canadian Legion | Wednesday, June 29, 2022 |
| Swift Current | Coast Hotel | Thursday, June 30, 2022 |
| Regina | Holiday Inn & Suites | Tuesday, July 5 and Wednesday, July 6, 2022 |
| Fort Qu'Appelle | Treaty 4 Governance Centre | Thursday, July 7, 2022 |
| Moose Jaw | Heritage Inn | Friday, July 8, 2022 |
| Yorkton | Ukrainian Cultural Centre | Monday, July 11, 2022 |
| Weyburn | Royal Canadian Legion | Tuesday, July 12, 2022 |
| Virtual Hearing | Thursday, July 14, 2022 |
In-person presentations were made by 87 people at the 12 public hearing locations, and eight people presented at the virtual public hearing. The Commission received 99 additional representations in various forms: maps, notice forms, emails and letters.
Representations were made by the following individuals and groups of people: First Nation chiefs, Tribal Council representatives, Métis representatives and First Nation community members; members of Parliament; representatives of rural municipalities, small towns and villages; individual city councillors; former federal candidates; a sitting Senator; farmers and both rural and urban businesspeople; students and educators; and a cross-section of the general public. No city in Saskatchewan made an official representation in support of or in opposition to the Proposal. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) took an official position in opposition to dedicated urban ridings for Regina and Saskatoon, as did the members of Parliament and one senator. It is also noted that SARM was not against making the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River a smaller riding. SARM also urged the Commission to make every effort, if at all possible, not to divide RMs between two federal electoral districts.
Footnotes
Return to footnote 1 Note: The land area figures mentioned in the table and elsewhere in the report are preliminary calculations and will be reviewed and certified after the proclamation of the Representation Order.