Crowded Sask Legislature Should Not Add Seats
CTF calls for reduction in seat count to 53; "merely" double Alberta's ratio of politicians to citizens
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) called on the Wall government today to scrap its plan to add three new provincial seats to the legislature and instead consider reducing Saskatchewan’s seat count down to 53; ‘merely’ double Alberta’s ratio of politicians to citizens.
“Saskatchewan already has the highest ratio of provincial politicians to citizens among Canadian province with more than a million people,” said CTF Prairie Director Colin Craig. “It’s true Saskatchewan’s population is growing, but that doesn’t mean the province needs more provincial politicians. If anything, it’s time to reduce the number of provincial seats.”
Current Ratio of Politicians to Citizens
| Province | Population | Current # of Politicians | Ratio of Politicians to People |
| Saskatchewan (Current) | 1,058,000 | 58 | 1:18,241 |
| Saskatchewan (Gov Proposal)* | 1,158,000 | 61 | 1:18,984 |
| Saskatchewan (CTF Proposal)* | 1,158,000 | 53 | 1:21,849 |
| Manitoba | 1,250,000 | 57 | 1:21,930 |
| Alberta** | 3,779,000 | 87 | 1:43,437 |
| British Columbia | 4,573,000 | 85 | 1:53,800 |
| Quebec | 7,980,000 | 125 | 1:63,840 |
| Ontario | 13,373,000 | 107 | 1:124,981 |
* Based on population increase of 100,000 people
** Upcoming election will include 87 constituencies
“If Saskatchewan reduced the size of its legislature by five seats, it would still have double the number of politicians to people as Alberta,” added Craig. “If anything, the size of Saskatchewan’s legislature should go down, not up.”
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Comments
In response to "Small government"
I never could understand why people don't like numbers. If this poster had taken the time to look at the chart, they would have seen that the CTF is not advocating a one-man legislature, or even the smallest legislature in the country. They are instead pointing out that there is an optimal level of per capita representation and it is likely that Saskatchewan is already over-represented. I honestly do not know what the optimal level would be, but I'm pretty sure that in this case, less is more.
'Small government'
On CTF is the only place I have heard of a small government referring to the size of a legislature. Everywhere else, to my reading, small government refers to a small budget and limited power/responsibility.
In the conservative sense, the smallest government is the night watchman state. In CTF's sense the smallest government is a one man legislating body. That sounds, at the very least, profoundly undemocratic.
Frustrating
I don't often agree with everything the CTF says, but this is one item that the CTF is right on the money with!
Put it this way, if they would've put this in the platform I would not have voted Sask. Party. It spits in the face of every voter who actually believed in their preaching of smaller government. I guess the Lean initiative they've touted for so long only applies to the peons that work for the MLAs, not the MLAs.
"Conservative" governments only talk conservatively when it comes to voting, actions apparently don't mimic words.
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