Brad Wall

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Brad Wall is a Canadian politician, and leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Wall's political roots are in the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, working as a Ministerial Assistant to the Honourable Graham Taylor, Minister of Public Participation, Tourism, Small Business, Co-Operatives, and Health, and the Honourable John Gerich, Associate Minister of Economic Development.

Wall ran unsuccessfully for the Progressive Conservative nomination for Swift Current in April, 1991. His platform for the nomination was the continued reallocation of public servant jobs into rural Saskatchewan, dubbed "Fair Share Saskatchewan" by his leader Grant Devine.

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. Wall is seen by many to take less of an ideological approach to leadership than his predecessor.^{[citation needed]} He is opposed to excessive public sector involvement in the economy, but joined fellow MLA's in unanimous approval of The Crown Corporations Public Ownership Act despite stating the Saskatchewan government should be less involved with the economy.

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. During the Saskatchewan Party's annual convention in February 2005 previous policy recommendations that had called for the end of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, the privatization of the Saskatchewan Crown Corporations, and "boot camps" for young offenders were replaced with recommendations that called for treatment for crystal methamphetamine addicts, democratic workplaces, and a reformed Workers' Compensation Board.

Wall and his wife Tami reside in Swift Current with their three children: Megan, Colter, and Faith.

Prior to his election, Brad was the Director of Business Development for the City of Swift Current. In 1999, the Saskatchewan Economic Developers Association (SEDA) presented Brad with the 1998 Economic Developer of the Year Award. He 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's leadership style has generally been received as popular within the Saskatchewan Party caucus. However, his leadership but was called into question at the end of January, 2006 when notable MLA Brenda Bakken Lackey resigned from the party for having had difficulties in voicing her local constituents' concerns within Wall's caucus. This led to a by-election in Weyburn where the Saskatchewan Party elected its former caucus researcher Dustin Duncan, the first such election win for the Saskatchewan Party under Wall's leadership.

Top: One of the liquor orders. Bottom: Close up of the name of the person to whom the liquor order was to be delivered. The memo was dated June 17th, 1991

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In recent times, he has been more willing to discuss his employment under the Grant Devine government despite that period of time being removed from his official Sask Party biography. 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^[1] was being sent freely to the Minister's office. Wall admitted to the media of his partaking in the alcohol and knowing it was "wrong" ^[2] and stated he considered it "an asset" to have learned from the government's activities.

He calls his former boss John Gerich "an honest fellow" despite a conviction. Wall also describes former Morse MLA Harold Martens who was convicted and ordered to pay $5,850 restitution as "the most honest man I ever met."^[3]

Preceded by: Elwin Hermanson	Leader of the Saskatchewan Party 2004-present	Succeeded by: Incumbent

[edit] References

^ Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Jan 17th, 1992
^ Brad Wall on CBC, March 23rd, 2006
^ Willingness to discuss past says something about Wall; Murray Mandryk. Leader Post. Regina, Sask.: Aug 16, 2006. pg. B.7