Brad Wall
Encyclopedia
Bradley John "Brad" Wall, MLA
(born November 24, 1965) is a Canadian
politician
who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan
since November 21, 2007.
Wall was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as the Member of the Legislative Assembly
for Swift Current
in 1999, and re-elected in 2003. He became leader of the Official Opposition Saskatchewan Party
on March 15, 2004. He replaced Elwin Hermanson
, who resigned after leading the party to defeat in the 2003 provincial election.
In the 2011 election
, Wall led the Saskatchewan Party to a majority government in Saskatchewan with more than 64% of the popular vote and 49 of the 58 seats in the legislature.
. His political roots are in the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
, working as a ministerial assistant to Graham Taylor
, Minister of Public Participation
, Tourism, Small Business, Co-operatives and Health, and John Gerich
, Associate Minister of Economic Development. Wall ran unsuccessfully for the Progressive Conservative
nomination for Swift Current in April 1991.
Prior to his election, Wall was the director of business development for the City of Swift Current. In 1999, the Saskatchewan Economic Developers Association (SEDA) had presented him with the 1998 Economic Developer of the Year Award. In the early 1990s, Wall also managed a country music museum that was relocated to Swift Current from Kitchener, ON, following a significant grant from the Grant Devine
government. The facility went bankrupt in 1995. Wall has also sat on a number of boards including being a founding member of the Southwest Centre for Entrepreneurial Development. Wall also started his own business, The Last Stand Adventure Company.
After becoming leader of the Saskatchewan Party, Wall committed to a review of Saskatchewan Party policies. This policy review process reached its culmination at the Saskatchewan Party's annual convention in February 2005 and resulted in a complete revamping of policy and the replacement of old resolutions, including a resolution that called for "boot camps" for young offenders. New policy resolutions included calling for treatment for crystal methamphetamine
addicts, a patient-first review of the health care system, the development of a comprehensive plan to recruit and retain health care professionals, the development an integrated addictions strategy for young offenders who are incarcerated, a comprehensive review of the justice system to restore trust and confidence in the system, the establishment of a provincial youth justice board to address youth crime, rehabilitation and restitution measures, support for victims of crime, the establishment of a university research chair in occupational health and safety, and a review of the Workers' Compensation Board.
In September 2004, Brad Wall released The Promise of Saskatchewan: A New Vision for Saskatchewan's Economy, a plan to grow the province's economy. In the fall of 2006, Wall released a policy paper on behalf of the Saskatchewan Party caucus, "Getting Saskatchewan Back on Track: Addressing Saskatchewan's Labour Shortage."
On November 7, 2011 Premier Brad Wall led the Saskatchewan Party to a historic landslide victory in the provincial election
. The Saskatchewan Party garnered 49 of 58 seats in the Saskatchewan Legislature, gaining 9 seats over what they held previous to the election and leaving the NDP with a mere 9 seats, the smallest number of seats held by them since 1982.
resigned from the party. Bakken-Lackey cited unspecified frustrations within the Saskatchewan Party caucus as being among her reasons for resigning.
This led to a by-election in Weyburn-Big Muddy
, which was won by the Saskatchewan Party's former caucus researcher, Dustin Duncan
. At the party's 2007 annual convention, Wall received the support of 98 per cent of convention delegates for his leadership.
In recent times, he has been more willing to discuss his employment under the Grant Devine
government. In the Saskatchewan Legislature's spring 2006 session, NDP MLAs revealed that Wall had worked in Gerich's office at the time when $15,000 worth of alcohol was allocated to the Minister's office. Wall admitted to the media of his partaking in the alcohol and knowing it was "wrong" and stated he considered it "an asset" to have learned from the government's activities.
On April 3, 2008, the provincial NDP released a video tape filmed during the 1991 Saskatchewan general election
on the day of the leaders debate. The video showed Conservative
MP and former Saskatchewan Party staffer Tom Lukiwski
making homophobic remarks. Wall was also on the video using an exaggerated Ukrainian accent, making derogatory statements about former NDP Premier Roy Romanow
. There were also comments made about then Liberal Party leader and future Lieutenant Governor
Lynda Haverstock
, which centred on her gender. Wall apologized later that day for his comments.
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The 25th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was in power from 2003 until November 20, 2007. It was controlled by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party under premier Lorne Calvert.-Members:-By-elections:...
(born November 24, 1965) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan
Premier of Saskatchewan
The Premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
since November 21, 2007.
Wall was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as the Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for Swift Current
Swift Current (provincial electoral district)
Swift Current is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. Located in southwestern Saskatchewan, it was created for the 2nd Saskatchewan general election in 1908.The city of Swift Current Swift Current is a provincial electoral district for the...
in 1999, and re-elected in 2003. He became leader of the Official Opposition Saskatchewan Party
Saskatchewan Party
The Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...
on March 15, 2004. He replaced Elwin Hermanson
Elwin Hermanson
Elwin Norris Hermanson is a Canadian politician, best known for being the first full-time leader of the Saskatchewan Party....
, who resigned after leading the party to defeat in the 2003 provincial election.
In the 2011 election
Saskatchewan general election, 2011
The 27th Saskatchewan general election was held on November 7, 2011, to elect 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan . The election was called on October 10 by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, on the advice of Premier Brad Wall...
, Wall led the Saskatchewan Party to a majority government in Saskatchewan with more than 64% of the popular vote and 49 of the 58 seats in the legislature.
Life and political career
Wall was born in Swift Current, SaskatchewanSwift Current, Saskatchewan
Swift Current is a small city in southwest Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans Canada Highway west from Moose Jaw, and east from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Swift Current grew 0.8% between 2001 and 2006 ending up at 14,946 residents. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Swift...
. His political roots are in the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a right-of-centre political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories....
, working as a ministerial assistant to Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor may refer to:* Graham Taylor , footballer and manager* Graham Taylor , British novelist and part-time priest* Graham Taylor , Major League Baseball player...
, Minister of Public Participation
Public participation
Public participation is a political principle or practice, and may also be recognised as a right . The terms public participation may be used interchangeably with the concept or practice of stakeholder engagement and/or popular participation.Generally public participation seeks and facilitates the...
, Tourism, Small Business, Co-operatives and Health, and John Gerich
John Gerich
John Gerich was a politician in Saskatchewan, Canada, MLA for Redberry, and former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He served as Associate Minister of Economic Development in the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative government led by Grant Devine....
, Associate Minister of Economic Development. Wall ran unsuccessfully for the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a right-of-centre political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories....
nomination for Swift Current in April 1991.
Prior to his election, Wall was the director of business development for the City of Swift Current. In 1999, the Saskatchewan Economic Developers Association (SEDA) had presented him with the 1998 Economic Developer of the Year Award. In the early 1990s, Wall also managed a country music museum that was relocated to Swift Current from Kitchener, ON, following a significant grant from the Grant Devine
Grant Devine
Donald Grant Devine was the 11th Premier of Saskatchewan from May 8, 1982 to November 1, 1991.- Early life :Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he received a B.Sc. in Agriculture degree specializing in Agricultural Economics in 1967 from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.Sc. specializing in...
government. The facility went bankrupt in 1995. Wall has also sat on a number of boards including being a founding member of the Southwest Centre for Entrepreneurial Development. Wall also started his own business, The Last Stand Adventure Company.
After becoming leader of the Saskatchewan Party, Wall committed to a review of Saskatchewan Party policies. This policy review process reached its culmination at the Saskatchewan Party's annual convention in February 2005 and resulted in a complete revamping of policy and the replacement of old resolutions, including a resolution that called for "boot camps" for young offenders. New policy resolutions included calling for treatment for crystal methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
addicts, a patient-first review of the health care system, the development of a comprehensive plan to recruit and retain health care professionals, the development an integrated addictions strategy for young offenders who are incarcerated, a comprehensive review of the justice system to restore trust and confidence in the system, the establishment of a provincial youth justice board to address youth crime, rehabilitation and restitution measures, support for victims of crime, the establishment of a university research chair in occupational health and safety, and a review of the Workers' Compensation Board.
In September 2004, Brad Wall released The Promise of Saskatchewan: A New Vision for Saskatchewan's Economy, a plan to grow the province's economy. In the fall of 2006, Wall released a policy paper on behalf of the Saskatchewan Party caucus, "Getting Saskatchewan Back on Track: Addressing Saskatchewan's Labour Shortage."
On November 7, 2011 Premier Brad Wall led the Saskatchewan Party to a historic landslide victory in the provincial election
Saskatchewan general election, 2011
The 27th Saskatchewan general election was held on November 7, 2011, to elect 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan . The election was called on October 10 by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, on the advice of Premier Brad Wall...
. The Saskatchewan Party garnered 49 of 58 seats in the Saskatchewan Legislature, gaining 9 seats over what they held previous to the election and leaving the NDP with a mere 9 seats, the smallest number of seats held by them since 1982.
Controversies
Wall's leadership style has generally been received as popular throughout Saskatchewan and within the Saskatchewan Party caucus. However, his leadership was called into question at the end of January 2006 when MLA Brenda Bakken-LackeyBrenda Bakken-Lackey
Brenda Bakken-Lackey is a former Canadian provincial politician. She was the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Weyburn-Big Muddy from 1999 to 2006....
resigned from the party. Bakken-Lackey cited unspecified frustrations within the Saskatchewan Party caucus as being among her reasons for resigning.
This led to a by-election in Weyburn-Big Muddy
Weyburn-Big Muddy
Weyburn-Big Muddy is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. Previous versions of this riding were once represented by former CCF Premier, and federal NDP leader, Tommy Douglas....
, which was won by the Saskatchewan Party's former caucus researcher, Dustin Duncan
Dustin Duncan
Dustin Duncan is a Canadian provincial politician. He is the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Weyburn-Big Muddy....
. At the party's 2007 annual convention, Wall received the support of 98 per cent of convention delegates for his leadership.
In recent times, he has been more willing to discuss his employment under the Grant Devine
Grant Devine
Donald Grant Devine was the 11th Premier of Saskatchewan from May 8, 1982 to November 1, 1991.- Early life :Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he received a B.Sc. in Agriculture degree specializing in Agricultural Economics in 1967 from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.Sc. specializing in...
government. In the Saskatchewan Legislature's spring 2006 session, NDP MLAs revealed that Wall had worked in Gerich's office at the time when $15,000 worth of alcohol was allocated to the Minister's office. Wall admitted to the media of his partaking in the alcohol and knowing it was "wrong" and stated he considered it "an asset" to have learned from the government's activities.
On April 3, 2008, the provincial NDP released a video tape filmed during the 1991 Saskatchewan general election
Saskatchewan general election, 1991
The Saskatchewan general election of 1991 was the twenty-second provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on October 21, 1991, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
on the day of the leaders debate. The video showed Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
MP and former Saskatchewan Party staffer Tom Lukiwski
Tom Lukiwski
Tom Lukiwski is a Canadian politician. He is the current Conservative Member of Parliament for the Saskatchewan riding of Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre. Born in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, he was a businessman and political administrator....
making homophobic remarks. Wall was also on the video using an exaggerated Ukrainian accent, making derogatory statements about former NDP Premier Roy Romanow
Roy Romanow
Roy John Romanow, PC, OC, QC, SOM is a Canadian politician and the 12th Premier of Saskatchewan ....
. There were also comments made about then Liberal Party leader and future Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan is the viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the...
Lynda Haverstock
Lynda Haverstock
- External links :***...
, which centred on her gender. Wall apologized later that day for his comments.