The Constituency Boundaries Commission was appointed by the Premier of Saskatchewan today. The commission prepares an interim report and map of new constituency boundaries within three months, then it holds public hearings to get feedback on the proposed boundaries. A final report and constituency boundaries map will be issued within six months of their appointment. That report will then form the basis of legislation to enact the new boundaries, effective at the time of the next provincial election.

This all happens every 10 years after census data has been released by Statistics Canada to ensure each constituency is balanced in terms of population.

The Premier says it is an important task to ensure fairness of the democratic system. Scott Moe says, “Saskatchewan’s population has grown by nearly 100,000 people in the past 10 years, and some parts of the province have grown faster than others, so the boundaries need to be adjusted to ensure equality and fairness.”

The Commission consists of a chairperson nominated by the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, one person nominated by the government and one person nominated by the Leader of the Opposition.  The members of the Commission will be Justice Donald Layh (chairperson), Joe Donlevy, former Chief of Staff to the Premier, and Frank Quennell, former Minister of Justice.