Summary: The sole riding for the northern half of Saskatchewan, Conservative MP Rob Clarke seeks re-election in this district that is often close on election night.
Boundaries: While its southern boundary is jagged, generally any area of the province north of Lloydminster or Prince Albert is part of this sprawling, 588,239 square kilometre riding.
Last Election: Clarke won his second full term, defeating NDP candidate Lawrence Joseph by 794 votes.
The riding has lost a small bit of area to the northeast of Prince Albert through redistribution. Had the current boundaries been in place last election, Clarke would have won by just 313 votes (based on polling results).
History: North Saskatchewan has only had one riding since 1988 – but in eight general elections since, the area has elected an NDP candidate twice, a Liberal candidate three times, and a Conservative three times—including the last two with Clarke.
Demographics: 70.9 per cent of people identified as Aboriginal in the 2011 census—by far the highest number in Saskatchewan, and the third highest in all of Canada. The median income is $18,910, the second lowest in Canada.
Candidates
Conservative: Rob Clarke, MP since 2008
NDP: Georgina Jolibois, mayor of La Loche since 2003
Liberal: Lawrence Joseph, former Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief and the NDP’s candidate in 2011
Green: Warren Koch, nurse