CEO Assessment of Saskatchewan’s Constituency Boundary Legislation & Processes released

November 8, 2021 – Saskatchewan’s Chief Electoral Officer has released Modernizing Saskatchewan’s Constituency Boundary Legislation & Processes, a CEO Assessment series publication.

In 2012, as the work of the province’s previous Constituency Boundaries Commission was nearing completion, Commission Chair Justice Neil Gabrielson asked the Chief Electoral Officer to issue a report recommending changes and improvements that could be made to the boundary setting process. This publication fulfills that request, offering recommendations on how the process could be strengthen and improved while also providing valuable historical information.

“I look forward to engaging with Government and Opposition members of the Legislative Assembly to discuss these recommendations and how each one would improve our constituency boundary delimitation process,” says Dr. Boda. “It is imperative that the public understand and trust that the boundary setting process is fair, non-partisan and based on established best practice and traditions. The health of our democracy depends on it.”  

The Assessment contains ten recommendations that would improve the province’s constituency boundary setting process. These recommendations are:

  1. Integrate the schedule for electoral boundary commissions with the schedule for general elections
  2. Appoint independent, impartial commissions
  3. Provide an appropriate completion timeline for each constituency boundary commission
  4. Designate Elections Saskatchewan as the boundaries commission secretariat
  5. Enable commissions to set their own rules and procedures
  1. Confirm the entire population of provincial citizens is to be considered
  2. Set reasonable population variances for southern constituencies
  3. Correct population imbalances between the northern constituencies
  4. Adjust rules for establishing constituency boundaries
  5. Enable commissions to use modern boundary descriptions

A copy of the CEO Assessment can be found here.

In Saskatchewan, the constituency boundary process is outlined in The Constituency Boundaries Act, 1993. The legislation requires that a three-member committee undertake a review process every ten years, following the completion of the census. The previous committee began its work in mid-April 2012 and submitted its final report on October 18, 2012.

Elections Saskatchewan (ESK) is the province’s nonpartisan election management body and an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. ESK directs and supervises the administration of provincial electoral events including Saskatchewan’s next general election, scheduled, by legislation, for October 28, 2024. Information for voters, workers, media, candidates, and parties at www.elections.sk.ca.

For more information contact:

Tim Kydd
Senior Director, Outreach & Communications
Elections Saskatchewan
306.537.9211
tim.kydd@elections.sk.ca