Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced the appointment of the Constituency Boundaries Commission Thursday morning. The commission, which is appointed every 10 years, is done under the Constituency Boundaries Act. They are tasked with the redrawing of the provincial constituency boundaries to ensure every riding has roughly the same number of voters.
"This is an important task to ensure fairness in our democratic system," Moe said in a written release. "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 is comprised of a chairperson who is nominated by the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, one person who is nominated by the government, and one person nominated by the Leader of the Opposition.
The chairperson for the commission will be Justice Donald Layh. Layh is a judge on the Court of Queen’s Bench, having been appointed to the position in 2014. The government’s appointee to the commission is Joe Donlevy. Donlevy, who was the Chief of Staff to former Premier Brad Wall, is currently the president of neducation, a not-for-profit that partners with First Nations to enhance student engagement. The appointee by the Leader of the Opposition is Frank Quennell. Quennell served as an MLA with the NDP from 2003 to 2011 and was the Minister of Justice and attorney general under Lorne Calvert.
The commission will prepare an interim report over the next three months, along with a map of new constituency boundaries, and hold public hearings to get feedback on the proposed changes. Then, a final report will be issued within six months of the appointment of the commission. This final report, along with the maps, will then be the basis for the legislature needed for the new boundaries to take effect.