Brad Wall

The Honourable
Brad Wall
MLA

Wall at the Leaders' Debate on March 23, 2016
14th Premier of Saskatchewan
Assumed office
November 21, 2007
Monarch Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor Gordon Barnhart
Vaughn Schofield
Preceded by Lorne Calvert
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Swift Current
Assumed office
August 16, 1999
Preceded by John Wall
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
In office
March 15, 2004 – November 20, 2007
Preceded by Elwin Hermanson
Succeeded by Lorne Calvert
Personal details
Born Bradley John Wall
(1965-11-24) November 24, 1965
Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political party Saskatchewan Party
Spouse(s) Tami Wall
Children 3
Religion Mennonite Brethren Church[1]
Signature

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's government won the third-largest majority in Saskatchewan's history, with 64% of the popular vote and 49 of the 58 seats in the legislature. The 2016 election delivered Wall 51 of the 61 seats in the newly expanded legislature, and 63% of the vote. This marked the first time since 1925 that a party other than the NDP or CCF had won a third consecutive majority mandate.

Early life

Wall was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, where he continues to live. He is the son of Alice (née Schmidt) and John Wall.[2][3] He completed his post-secondary education with a degree in public administration from the University of Saskatchewan.

Political career

Wall's 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.[4] The facility went bankrupt in 1995.[5] 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.

Wall won the Saskatchewan Party nomination for Swift Current in the 1999 election and won handily, defeating NDP incumbent John Wall (no relation) by 24 points as part of a wave of rural victories that saw the NDP cut down to a minority government. He was immediately appointed to the Saskatchewan Party's front bench as Justice Critic, and later became critic for the Crown Investments Corporation as well.

When original leader Elwin Hermanson resigned after narrowly losing the 2003 provincial election, Wall announced his candidacy for the leadership. No other candidates stepped forward, and Wall was acclaimed the party's new leader on March 15, 2004.

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 considerably more moderate policy platform designed to appeal to urban voters. Among the old resolutions that were replaced was one 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 of 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, Wall released The Promise of Saskatchewan: A New Vision for Saskatchewan's Economy,[6] 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."[7]

Wall and the Saskatchewan Party consistently led in opinion polling leading up to the 2007 election. In that election, the Saskatchewan Party won 38 of the 58 seats in the legislature, making Wall only the fourth centre-right premier in the province's history.

On November 7, 2011 Wall led the Saskatchewan Party to a historic landslide victory in the provincial election. The Saskatchewan Party garnered 49 seats, an increase of 11, and left the NDP with a mere 9 seats, the smallest number of seats held by them since 1982. This was the third-largest majority government in Saskatchewan's history. The Saskatchewan Party even managed to oust NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter in his own riding.

In June 2013, Wall attended the Bilderberg Conference, an annual private conference of approximately 120 to 140 invited influential guests from North America and Europe.[8]

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-Lackey resigned from the party. Bakken-Lackey cited unspecified frustrations within the Saskatchewan Party caucus as being among her reasons for resigning.[9] 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.[7]

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[10] was allocated to the Minister's office. Wall admitted to the media of his partaking in the alcohol and knowing it was "wrong"[11] 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 that was found at a former Conservative MP office. The tape was filmed during the 1991 Saskatchewan general election on the day of the leaders debate.[12] The video showed Conservative MP and former Saskatchewan Party staffer Tom Lukiwski making homophobic remarks.[13] Wall was also on the video using an exaggerated Ukrainian accent, making derogatory statements about former NDP Premier Roy Romanow.[13][14][15]

In 2015, Brad Wall was named in a lawsuit against himself, Rob Norris, the former Minister of Advanced Education, and the University of Saskatchewan and its Board of Governors for the controversial firing of the President, Ilene Busch-Vishniac, after the Provost, Brett Fairbairn, fired an executive director at the university and ended his tenure for openly criticizing the university's leadership. Wall and Norris are accused of unlawfully inserting themselves into the Board's decision of firing Busch-Vishniac.[16] The lawsuit is ongoing.

Personal life

Wall resides in Swift Current and is married to Tami. Together they have three children. Wall's son Colter is a country singer.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "MB elected provincial premier". Mennonite Weekly Review. 2007-11-19. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-11. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  3. ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/wall-flowers/article4355629/?page=all
  4. ↑ "Hall of Fame is Lured West," Calgary Herald: September 26, 1991.
  5. ↑ "Country Music Center at a Low Note," Regina Leader-Post: December 27, 1995.
  6. ↑ Brad Wall (September 2004). "The Promise of Saskatchewan: A New Vision for Saskatchewan's Economy" (pdf). Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  7. 1 2 "Current issues & news from the legislature". Saskatchewan Party. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  8. ↑ Matthew Holehouse (2013-06-03). "Bilderberg Group 2013 guest list and agenda". The Daily Telegraph retrieved July 6, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Byelection to be called in Weyburn-Big Muddy". CBC News. January 31, 2006. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  10. ↑ Saskatoon Star Phoenix, January 17, 1992
  11. ↑ Brad Wall on CBC, March 23, 2006
  12. ↑ John Gormley (April 4, 2008). "Tasteless Tape Sparks Tacky Outrage". Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  13. 1 2 "Tory MP apologizes for anti-gay comments". CTV News. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
  14. ↑ "Saskatchewan MP apologizes over anti-gay slur". CBC News. April 3, 2008. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  15. ↑ Labour livid over comments on controversial tape
  16. ↑ "Former U of S president Busch-Vishniac sues over dismissal". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  17. ↑ Colter Wall debuts first songs, including The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie. "While he was not asked about it during his interview on CBC, Wall is the son of Saskatchewan's premier, Brad Wall."
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