Palliser

Palliser is a federal electoral district in south-central Saskatchewan, named after the Palliser Expedition that explored the western prairies in the 1850s. The riding includes the city of Moose Jaw, the southwestern portion of Regina west of Albert Street, and a large expanse of rural prairie stretching south and west between the two cities. It blends urban neighbourhoods with the grain-farming country of the Regina Plain and the rolling terrain of the Missouri Coteau.

Candidates

Ray Boughen (Conservative)* — Boughen was born in 1937 and earned degrees from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota, the University of Saskatchewan, and the Oregon College of Education. He spent 30 years as an educator, working as a teacher, principal, and school division director before entering public life. He served as mayor of Moose Jaw from 1994 to 2000 and later worked as CEO of the Regina Airport Authority. He was first elected to Parliament in 2008 and served until his retirement in 2015. He also chaired the Boughen Commission on K-12 education financing for the Province of Saskatchewan.

Noah Patrick Evanchuk (NDP) — Evanchuk is a Regina lawyer and longtime NDP activist who ran a strong campaign in Palliser in 2011. He came within approximately 800 votes of defeating the incumbent, making it one of the closest races in Saskatchewan that year. He remained active in NDP politics in subsequent years.

Russ Collicott (Liberal) — Collicott ran as the Liberal candidate in Palliser, competing in a riding where the party had limited support in a province that was trending heavily Conservative.

Larissa Shasko (Green Party) — Shasko ran as the Green Party candidate in Palliser.

About the Riding

Palliser brings together two distinct communities: the city of Moose Jaw and the southwestern suburbs of Regina, connected by a stretch of rural prairie along the Trans-Canada Highway. Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan's fourth-largest city, has a proud railway heritage and serves as a regional service centre. Its economy is supported by the Snowbirds aerobatic team based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, a CP Rail distribution centre, light manufacturing, and tourism anchored by the Temple Gardens mineral spa and the Tunnels of Moose Jaw historical attraction. The Regina portion of the riding includes residential neighbourhoods in the city's west end.

Agriculture remains the backbone of the riding's rural areas, with grain farming, pulse crops, and cattle operations dominating the landscape between the two cities. The potash industry also provides employment, with several mines operating in the broader region. Moose Jaw has worked to diversify its economy beyond its traditional railway and military foundations, investing in tourism and value-added agriculture, though the city has faced challenges common to smaller prairie cities, including population stagnation and the outmigration of younger workers to larger centres.

The 2011 race in Palliser was unexpectedly competitive. Boughen, a well-respected former mayor running for his second term, faced a strong challenge from the NDP's Evanchuk, who benefited from the party's national surge under Jack Layton. Boughen won by a margin of only about 2.3 percent—roughly 800 votes—making Palliser one of the tightest races in a province that otherwise delivered landslide Conservative victories. The closeness of the result reflected the presence of urban NDP voters in both the Moose Jaw and Regina portions of the riding.

Despite the narrow margin, the Conservative hold on Palliser was consistent with the party's dominance across Saskatchewan in 2011. Boughen chose not to seek re-election in 2015, and the riding was substantially redrawn in redistribution. The Palliser result stood out as a reminder that even in Saskatchewan's conservative heartland, strong local NDP candidates could make races competitive when national conditions aligned.