We reported on March 27 that a three-person commission had been appointed to review the federal electoral boundaries in Saskatchewan. Other provinces are undergoing a similar review, which happens every ten years following the Canadian census.
As my linked news item notes, a lot of people have concerns about how Saskatchewan’s ridings are laid out — particularly the four hybrid urban-rural seats that Regina and Saskatoon both have. In the last three elections, the outcomes there have not reflected the diversity of political opinion that exists in the ridings (at least as judged by the popular vote).
If we had proportional representation, this wouldn’t be a burning issue. But since we don’t, the argument’s been advanced that our current distribution of ridings is flawed and that changes need to be made to establish a clearer division between urban and rural voters so that the different circumstances that each faces can be better addressed by their elected representative.
Public hearings will be held down the road once a proposal for a new electoral map has been developed, but if you’d like to make your viewpoint known to the commission before then you can contact them at saskatchewan@rfed-rcf.ca
The deadline is apparently April 15. Short notice, I know. And I hesistate to say that a huge amount of effort’s been made to inform people of the cut-off date for having preliminary input into how the map should look. Regardless, you’re asked to provide your mailing address at the end of your e-mail to make it clear you’re a Saskatchewan resident. And if you want more information you can visit www.federal-redistribution.ca
