Dustin Duncan is one of several high-profile members of the Saskatchewan Party who have said they won’t be running in the next provincial election, expected this fall.
Speaking on The Evan Bray Show on Wednesday, the 45-year-old Duncan said he has spent 40 per cent of his life in elected politics, with the last 18 years representing his Weyburn-area riding.
“These jobs can take a pretty heavy toll on an individual but, most especially, on a family, and so we just looked at a number of things in terms of the amount of time I’ve been doing this (and) the amount of sacrifices they’ve made as a family,” said Duncan.
The current minister responsible for the major Crowns talked about his family; he has three young kids aged nine, six and four. Duncan said he enjoys the work and loves the people he works with, but there comes a time when you know it’s time to do something else and let someone else step up.
Duncan thanked the people of his constituency who sent him back to the Legislature for nearly two decades.
“(I’ve) just tremendously valued the opportunity and the time that I’ve had to serve my constituents and my province,” he said.
Duncan made his announcement at the same time in early February as Don McMorris, Gord Wyant and Donna Harpauer. The current finance minister and deputy premier, Harpauer is the longest-serving female cabinet minister in Canada.
In August, long-time Sask. Party MLA and cabinet fixture Don Morgan announced he wouldn’t be running again — he was minister of labour relations and workplace safety at the time. At the same time, then-Environment Minister Dana Skoropad, former highways minister Fred Bradshaw and Batoche MLA Delbert Kirsch all announced they wouldn’t be running again.
In May, Sask. Party MLAs Greg Ottenbreit and Ken Francis announced they wouldn’t be seeking re-election.
Former Sask. Party MLA Greg Lawrence also announced in September he wouldn’t be running again after being hurt in a motorcycle accident. He resigned from the party at the end of January after being charged with assault.