The two Members of Parliament who serve this area have decided to run again in the 2015 federal election, but the constituencies they seek to represent have changed dramatically.

Late last month Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre MP Tom Lukiwski announced his intention to seek the Conservative candidacy in the new federal Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency, while Blackstrap MP Lynne Yelich said she plans to run in the new riding of Saskatoon-Grasswood.

“I think it’s important for MPs to actually live in the riding that they wish to represent (and) because of the boundary changes I am now a resident of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan,” said Lukiwski, a long-time resident of Regina Beach. “To me it was a fairly simple decision that if I wanted to continue in public life that would be the riding in which I would need to represent.”

The new Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency combines rural areas of the existing ridings of Blackstrap, Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre and Palliser and includes the City of Moose Jaw.

Lukiwski said the boundaries for all rural ridings across Saskatchewan are now far larger than previously drawn due to the Saskatchewan federal electoral boundaries commission’s decision to create five urban only ridings including three in Saskatoon and two in Regina. He said it would be a challenge for him to represent such a large area in Parliament, but plans on working hard to introduce himself to all his future constituents and make sure they know he is available when they need him.

“In Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, it’s a very large riding now,” he said. “It stems all the way from almost the city limits of Saskatoon to the city limits of Regina on a north-south basis and just west of Moose Jaw to just east of Lanigan in a east-west situation, so it is very very large.

“I think the requirement would be to have at least two constituency offices to try and accommodate the needs of the constituents on a timely basis (and) on a regular basis, but it is something that I am prepared for and certainly something that I would be willing to do in terms of travel.”

Yelich said she has decided to seek the Conservative candidacy in the new Saskatoon-Grasswood constituency because it includes her current home in the Stonebridge area of Saskatoon, but noted it is going to be difficult for her to stop serving some of the residents of her current Blackstrap riding including those from her hometown of Kenaston.

To read more please see the Sept. 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.