Île-à-la-Crosse (electoral District)
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Athabasca is a provincial
electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
for the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...
, Canada. It is located in the extreme northwest corner of the province. The major industries are tourism, mineral extraction, forestry, commercial fishing, and trapping. The Cluff Lake uranium mine is located in this constituency, as well as the Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park and the Clearwater River Provincial Park. The major communities are
La Loche La Loche () is a village in northwest Saskatchewan. It is located at the end of Highway 155 on the eastern shore of Lac La Loche in Canada's boreal forest. La Loche had a population of 2,827 in 2016 and is within the Northern Saskatchewan Adminis ...
,
Île-à-la-Crosse Île-à-la-Crosse () is a northern village in Division No. 18, northwestern Saskatchewan, and was the site of historic trading posts first established in 1778. Île-à-la-Crosse is the second oldest community in Saskatchewan, Canada, followin ...
and
Buffalo Narrows Buffalo Narrows () is a northern village in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a community of 1,110 people. Located at the "Narrows" between Peter Pond Lake and Churchill Lake, tourism and resource extraction (logging, fishing) are its main economic ...
with populations of 2,136, 1,268, and 1,137 respectively. The district was most recently contested in the 2020 general election, during which incumbent NDP MLA
Buckley Belanger Harold "Buckley" Belanger (; born March 21, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has been Secretary of State (Rural Development) since 2025. Belanger was elected to the House of Commons in the 2025 federal election and serves as the member of ...
was re-elected, but a by-election is scheduled for February 15, 2022 to replace Belanger who resigned to run (unsuccessfully) for the
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...
in the riding of
Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (; formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Geogra ...
during the
2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...
. The original Athabasca electoral district was created before the 1908 general election out of parts of
Battleford Battleford ( 2021 population 4,400) is a town located across the North Saskatchewan River from the city of North Battleford, in Saskatchewan, Canada. Battleford and North Battleford are collectively referred to as "The Battlefords". Although ...
, Redberry,
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...
and Kinistino, and consisted of the sparsely populated northern half of Saskatchewan. For the 1912 general election, the electoral district was divided in half, with the eastern half becoming
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
. The district's southern border was slightly altered before the 1917 general election, and was re-named Île-à-la-Crosse. Île-à-la-Crosse and Cumberland were re-joined prior to the 1934 general election, and the new combined riding was given the name Athabasca. Cumberland was split off again prior to the 1938 general election. Prior to the 1952 general election, Athabasca was shifted to the northeastern corner of the province, with most of its previous incarnation being transferred to Meadow Lake, with small parts transferred to the new Athabasca riding and Cumberland. This arrangement lasted until the 1971 general election, when the northern half of Meadow Lake was added back to the district. Finally, prior to the 1975 general election, the riding moved back to the northwestern corner of the province, adding back most of the territory in Meadow Lake, while losing it eastern half to Cumberland. The riding has remained in this configuration ever since.


History

In 1995
Buckley Belanger Harold "Buckley" Belanger (; born March 21, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has been Secretary of State (Rural Development) since 2025. Belanger was elected to the House of Commons in the 2025 federal election and serves as the member of ...
was elected, winning by 159 votes. Belanger left the Liberals, putting his seat on the line to run as a New Democrat. In the by-election, he defeated the Liberal candidate by 2,050 votes (94% of the popular vote), the second-largest majority in the history of the province. Belanger was subsequently re-elected in every general election since then, most recently in 2016. He resigned in 2021 to run as a Liberal in the
2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...
, but failed to be elected to the federal riding of
Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (; formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Geogra ...
. After his defeat, he declined to seek re-election to his provincial seat. In the subsequent by-election, the
Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party (SP or Sask Party) is a conservative political party in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was founded in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative ...
's Jim Lemaigre, defeating NDP candidate Georgina Jolibois. This was considered an upset, as the NDP has held the predominantly-indigenous riding almost continuously since 1975. Along with the neighbouring northern riding of
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
, Athabasca is considered one of the safest New Democratic seats in Saskatchewan, although candidates for the centre-right
Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party (SP or Sask Party) is a conservative political party in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was founded in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative ...
have polled somewhat better results in the 21st century compared to SP and Progressive Conservative candidates in previous elections.


Member of the Legislative Assembly

This riding has elected the following members of the Legislative Assembly:


Election results


Athabasca, 1934–present

^ Saskatchewan Party change compared to Progressive Conservative


Île-à-la-Crosse, 1917–1934


Athabasca, 1908–1917

^ Progressive Conservative change from Provincial Rights


See also

*
List of Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts This is a list of provincial electoral districts in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Current electoral districts * Athabasca (Saskatchewan provincial electoral district), Athabasca (1934) * Arm River (electoral district), Arm River (201 ...
*
Canadian provincial electoral districts Canadian provincial electoral districts have boundaries that are non- coterminous with those of the federal electoral districts, except for districts in the province of Ontario, where districts in the Southern Ontario region are coterminous wh ...
*
List of Saskatchewan general elections This article provides a summary of results for the general elections to the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewans unicameral Legislature, legislative body, the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The number of ...


References


External links


Website of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan


{{DEFAULTSORT:Athabasca (Saskatchewan Provincial Electoral District) Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts