REGINA, Sask. — Former deputy premier and Saskatchewan Party founder Ken Krawetz has died at age 75.
Premier Scott Moe announced the news in a social media post Thursday morning.
“This one hurts a lot,” Moe wrote. “In any room Ken was in, whether as a teacher, school board trustee, opposition or government caucus member, cabinet minister or at the kitchen table talking to a constituent, Ken was always the guy who brought the logic, integrity, compassion and common sense to arrive at the right decision.”
Flags at the Legislature were lowered to half-mast Thursday to honour Krawetz, who was first elected to provincial office as a Liberal in 1995.
Just over two years later he was one of four Liberal MLAs – along with Bob Bjornerud, Judy Draude and Rod Gantefoer – who joined with four Progressive Conservative MLAs to form the Sask. Party.
Retired long-time Indian Head-Milestone MLA Don McMorris said he first met Krawetz before the province’s 1999 general election, when Krawetz was hosting an event that included leadership candidates Gantefoer, Yogi Huyghebaert and eventual winner Elwin Hermanson.
That meeting was the start of a lengthy personal and professional relationship between the two, a relationship that continued after Brad Wall succeeded Hermanson as leader and eventually went on to become the new party’s first premier.
“He was deputy leader to Elwin, and of course after we won in 2007 deputy premier to Premier Wall, and I was in cabinet with him the whole time.”
From that initial meeting forward McMorris remembered both the pragmatism Moe spoke of but also a larger-than-life personality who wasn’t afraid of having his voice heard.
“He was fiery. So fiery,” said McMorris. “You probably heard him in question period, and I think the whole building probably heard him sometimes in question period when he’d get up and answer a question.”
Krawetz narrowly defeated New Democratic Party candidate Bill Dodge to first join the Legislature in 1995, winning Canora-Pelly by 50 votes out of the 7,990 cast.
In the next four elections before his retirement Krawetz never received under 53 per cent of the popular vote, concluding with his 71.15 per cent landslide victory in 2011.
Krawetz then announced his retirement ahead of the 2016 election and was succeeded in caucus by fellow Sask. Party member Terry Dennis.
Upon the Saskatchewan Party winning government in 2007, Krawetz served as deputy premier until the next general election in 2011.
During his time in government Krawetz also served as finance minister and education minister.
NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon posted a remembrance of Krawetz to social media Thursday recalling both their differences and their commonalities.
“I had many debates with Ken Krawetz over the years, often not quiet debates,” said Wotherspoon, who spent nearly a decade in the Legislature across the aisle from Krawetz. “Also many warm personal conversations, and the opportunity to work together for example with the Ukrainian-Canadian community.”
