Campaign Guideline Update

Political Campaign Guideline Update – COVID-19

A few weeks back, I was in contact with you to advise that, within the month, I would be providing a set of guidelines on how best to conduct common political campaign activities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. After further review and extensive back and forth with Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, we have decided that rather than issue a set of unique guidelines for registered political parties, it would be most effective for parties to reference and rely on the full set of existing guidelines issued by the province that align with campaign-related activities—including distribution of campaign materials, outdoor and indoor campaign gatherings, campaigning at hospitals and personal care facilities, and transporting voters to polling places. You will want to note that door-to-door canvassing is not currently allowed but this will be reviewed at a future date.   

Documents offering general guidance can be found and are kept up-to-date on the Guidelines section of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan’s website – https://www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19. There, you will find information that you must take into account as you plan your political campaign activities – the health and safety of your candidates, volunteers, and the general public depends on it. If you have questions related to how to safely conduct an activity or require more information, you should contact the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency at 1-855-559-5502. This line can be used for questions about the pandemic that are not health related.  

Over the coming months, I will be providing registered political parties with more information on the specific actions Elections Saskatchewan is taking to make voting safer for all stakeholders in the electoral process. This will be a challenging, and unique, election experience for all of us but I am confident that we can deliver voting in a safe manner and with integrity. I look forward to telling you more about it.   

Sincerely,                                                                   

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan