Facts about the federal riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River

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This article was published 04/10/2019 (2080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MEADOW LAKE, Sask. – Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River

It’s one of the most expansive ridings in Canada covering the entire northern half of Saskatchewan. Its voters are also not afraid of change. The Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats have all held the seat since 2004, meaning anything could happen this time around. The riding is home to a large Indigenous population.

Communities: Meadow Lake, La Ronge, Fond du Lac, La Loche and Ile-a-la-Crosse

Population: 70,891 (Statistics Canada, 2016)

Incumbent: Georgina Jolibois, NDP

Main challengers: Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson is on the Liberal ticket; former Meadow Lake Mayor Gary Vidal is running for the Conservatives; cyber security business owner Sarah Kraynick is the Greens candidate; and the People’s Party of Canada is running Jerome Perrault.

Election history: It was an extremely tight race between the NDP and Liberals in 2015. There was a judicial recount that saw Jolibois win the seat by just 82 votes. It was also tight in 2011, when Conservative Rob Clarke won by 794 votes over the NDP.

Fun fact: Although many imagine Saskatchewan’s landscape as being nothing more than flat prairie, the province’s north is boreal forest, filled with rocks, trees and lakes.