Wyant launches bid to lead Sask. Party
Despite holding a membership in the Liberal Party of Canada, Saskatchewan’s former justice minister says he’ll side with Premier Brad Wall rather than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a national carbon tax if elected the Saskatchewan Party’s next leader and the province’s next premier early next year.
“Premier Wall’s position is my position,” Gordon Wyant told reporters after launching his campaign to lead the party Friday morning in Saskatoon. “A carbon tax would do significant damage to our economy … We’re going to continue to fight the carbon tax. We’re going to use whatever tools we have at our disposal.”
Wyant, a former Saskatoon Public School Board trustee and Saskatoon city councillor, has yet to unveil a comprehensive platform but said he also opposes the federal Liberal government’s “top-down” approach to legalizing recreational marijuana as well as several taxation changes. He promised to provide “strong opposition from me as the premier.”
The former lawyer and current MLA for Saskatoon Northwest, who was introduced on Friday by Sask. Party founding member June Draude, also pledged to return the party to its eight guiding principles, which include private sector economic growth, smaller government, a commitment to reduce spending and balance the budget.
Draude said it does not, however, mean Wyant or the party need to distance themselves from Wall’s decade in power.
Despite expressing strong support for Wall — who is expected to resign as premier and the MLA for Swift Current following the party’s Jan. 27 leadership convention — Wyant admitted “there were some people that we didn’t listen to” while preparing the controversial 2017-18 budget, which aims to halve a $1.2-billion deficit this year
“We’re all fiscal conservatives in this party, whether you’re a liberal or a conservative, but I think we have to pay some attention to some of the issues that come forward, especially on the softer side of government,” he said, adding that the party needs to pay more attention to the province’s education and health-care systems.
During his time as justice minister, Wyant has held to the middle ground — appeasing the Sask. Party’s conservative wing by introducing Bill 40, which loosened the definition of what it means to privatize a Crown corporation, while at the same time gaining the favour of liberals by, among other things, introducing a new strategy to curb domestic violence.
Wyant, whose campaign is being assisted by Saskatoon-based Harris Greenaway Communications Ltd., appears to have support within the Sask. Party caucus. He named Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart as one backer, but declined to identify “a few” other MLAs in his corner.
Regina Coronation Park MLA Mark Docherty was at the announcement and confirmed his support for Wyant.
The former justice minister also praised aspects of Harrison’s plan to increase accountability, but stopped short of saying a series of contentious land deals involving the Global Transportation Hub west of Regina constituted “wrongdoing.” He defended controversial rural crime reforms unveiled this week, but said it’s important to continue talking with First Nations leadership.
“I just think that there’s a quality that I have in terms of my leadership, in terms of the experience that I’ve had — not only with the school board and city council, but my work in cabinet over the last five years,” Wyant said. “I think all that comes together, and my experience as a lawyer and my experience in other aspects of my life gives me some unique talents to lead this party.”
Wyant, Harrison and BeaudryMellor are expected to be joined in the leadership race on Monday by Ken Cheveldayoff, who most recently served as the province’s parks, culture and sport minister. Wall told reporters earlier this month that he is “notionally aware” of some outsiders who have expressed interest in running.