What Saskatchewan voters need to know ahead of the federal election

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With a snap election called, the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix will be providing Saskatchewan voters with background and up-to-date information about the respective parties and ridings over the next five weeks until election day on April 28.

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REGISTERING TO VOTE

All voters must be registered in order to cast a ballot.

Elections Canada — an independent and non-partisan agency — has an online option for voters to confirm they are registered or to update their information if they have moved. You can also call 1-800-463-6868.

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Registered voters are to receive information cards in the mail by April 11.

BOUNDARY CHANGES

Saskatchewan still has 14 electoral districts — all of which were claimed by the Conservative Party in the last election — but the boundary lines have changed since 2021.

The southern boundary for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River — Sask.’s northernmost district — has changed to no longer include Meadow Lake or Prince Albert National Park.

The redistribution for the northern district may favour the Liberal Party heading into the upcoming election since “the riding has lost some of its more Conservative components,” Daniel Westlake, an assistant professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan, told the Leader-Post in February.

“The transpositions I have seen suggest that had the riding had the boundaries it has now in the 2021 election, that the Liberals would have won it.”

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Battlefords-Lloydminster has now absorbed the northwest region around Meadow Lake and updated its riding designation to Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake. The southern boundary has moved up just under Unity and Wilkie while the central boundary lines have also changed.

The Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek riding now surrounds the areas outside of Saskatoon but no longer includes Biggar.

Saskatoon-Grasswood has shed Grasswood and been renamed Saskatoon South. It follows the southeast boundary lines of the city.

Regina-Lewvan has maintained most of its boundary on the west side of the city, except it lost a piece of the Coronation Park and Argyle Park-Englewood neighbourhoods.

Regina-Qu’Appelle has incorporated the Regina-Lewvan slice from First Avenue North to Rochdale Boulevard until McCarthy Boulevard.

A notable change to the Regina-Wascana riding: it now follows the city boundaries in the southeast quadrant.

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Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan is largely still in the centre of the southern region but with some changes to the smaller towns and villages within its boundaries.

The southwest riding of Cypress Hills-Grasslands has been renamed Swift Current-Grasslands-Kindersley. It no longer includes Assiniboia, but now extends northward to swallow up Rosetown and Biggar.

Souris-Moose Mountain, in the southeastern corner of the province, now stretches to include Assiniboia.

To find out which electoral district in which you will be voting, visit the Elections Canada website and search by postal code.

WHO ARE THE PARTIES?

Prime Minister Mark Carney is leading the Liberal Party, which held government under Justin Trudeau until he announced his intention to step down early this year. Click here to read about the party’s platform.

The Conservative Party, which held Official Opposition status, is led by Pierre Poilievre. Click here to read about the party’s platform.

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The NDP, which previously had an agreement with the Liberals that hinged on a national dental program and pharmacare legislation, continues to be led by Jagmeet Singh. Click here to read the party’s platform.

The Green Party is led jointly by Jonathan Pedneault and long-time leader Elizabeth May. Click here to read the party’s platform.

WHO IS RUNNING?

Candidates have until April 7 to submit their papers to Elections Canada to run in the federal election. As of March 25, no candidates have been officially listed on the Elections Canada website in any of the Saskatchewan electoral ridings.

Here is the most up-to-date slate of candidates that political parties will be putting forward:

Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake

Conservative candidate: Rosemarie Falk (incumbent)

Liberal candidate: Larry Ingram

NDP candidate: William Petryk

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Green candidate: Phoenix Neault

Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek

Conservative: Kelly Block (incumbent)

NDP: Cheryl Loadman

Green: Sean Muirhead

Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River

Conservative: Jim Lemaigre

Green: Jackie Hanson

This seat was previously held by Conservative MP Gary Vidal.

Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan

Conservative: Fraser Tolmie (incumbent)

NDP: Britt Baumann

Prince Albert

Conservative: Randy Hoback (incumbent)

Green: Andrew Muirhead

Regina-Lewvan

Conservative: Warren Steinley (incumbent)

Regina-Qu’Appelle

Conservative: Andrew Scheer (incumbent)

Green: Kendra Anderson

Regina-Wascana

Conservative: Michael Kram (incumbent)

Liberal: Jeffrey Walters

Green: Kimberly Epp

Saskatoon South

Conservative: Kevin Waugh (incumbent)

Liberal: Rokhan Sarwar

NDP: Jacob Gadzella

Green: Hamish Graham

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Saskatoon-University

Conservative: Corey Tochor (incumbent)

Green: Isaiah Hunter

Saskatoon West

Conservative: Brad Redekopp (incumbent)

NDP: Rachel Loewen Walker

Green: Naomi Hunter

Souris-Moose Mountain

Conservative: Steven Bonk

Green: Remi Rheault

This seat was previously held by Conservative MP Robert Kitchen.

Swift Current-Grasslands-Kindersley

Conservative: Jeremy Patzer (incumbent)

Green: North Hunter

Yorkton-Melville

Conservative: Cathay Wagantall (incumbent)

Green: Valerie Brooks

HOW TO VOTE

Elections Canada will offer advanced polling for four days — April 18-21 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at select stations.

For those who want to vote by mail, the deadline to apply is April 22.

On election day (April 28), polling stations will have varying times.

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