Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall shuffles cabinet as promised after election

Six ministers have changed portfolios and four new faces have been added in a major cabinet shuffle Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall promised after last spring’s election.

Some high−profile changes announced Tuesday involve two key cabinet ministers who have found themselves in hot water for different reasons.

Don McMorris resigned from cabinet and as deputy premier earlier this month after being charged with impaired driving, while veteran Bill Boyd told the premier he wanted out.

Boyd was most recently in the middle of a controversy over a land deal outside Regina, although the provincial auditor concluded Boyd was not in a conflict of interest. He was also the minister responsible for SaskPower last year when 105,000 smart meters that had been installed in homes and businesses had to be removed because of a fire hazard.

Wall moved Dustin Duncan out of health to take over Boyd’s energy and resources duties and also gave Duncan responsibility for SaskTel and SaskEnergy.

Wall said Duncan led a lot of innovation during his four years at health, including a move to allow private−pay diagnostics in Saskatchewan.

"There’s been a number of changes in terms of health−care delivery that he’s overseen and so Dustin has done great as the health minister," Wall said.

"He would have happily continued in the file. I just thought it would be good to have some renewal in that portfolio."

Jim Reiter, who was government relations minister, moves to health.

Duncan said he didn’t ask for the change, but he’s OK with it.

"I would say that there were probably days where, after four years, a change looked pretty interesting," said Duncan. "It’s a little bit bittersweet. There’s a lot of interesting things that we were working on."

Duncan just last week announced a committee to look at how to reduce the number of regional health authorities in the province.

Boyd said earlier this month that he started thinking of stepping back shortly after the April election because of the "high−quality team" in place. He had been a minister ever since the Saskatchewan Party formed government for the first time in 2007.

Another veteran cabinet minister, Don Morgan, is keeping his duties at education and labour, but also takes on the position of deputy premier left vacant by McMorris.

"Don is very well regarded in the caucus, very well regarded in cabinet," said the premier. "Don has handled his files very well, the ones that he’s had as a minister. I trust him implicitly."

Four ministers are keeping their portfolios. Kevin Doherty remains at finance, Lyle Stewart stays at agriculture, rural and remote health is still headed by Greg Ottenbreit and Gordon Wyant is still justice minister, although he is also taking on corrections and policing from Christine Tell.

Four people were appointed to cabinet for the first time: Regina MLA Tina Beaudry−Mellor, Dave Marit of Wood River, Saskatoon’s Bronwyn Eyre and Prince Albert MLA Joe Hargrave.

The size of cabinet is smaller by one. Wall has reduced the number of ministers, including himself, to 17.

The Opposition New Democrats said the cabinet shuffled changed nothing.

"Today, the premier wasted an opportunity to demonstrate the change the Sask. Party has promised," NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon said in a release.

He pointed to keeping Doherty and Morgan in their jobs and failing to increase the number of women at the cabinet table.

"A few titles have changed but the direction and tone that has seen the Sask. Party stumble from ethical scandal to ethical scandal and mismanaged crisis to mismanaged crisis has stayed the same."