You can add the word “honourable” to the front of Battlefords MLA Herb Cox’s name.
Cox was promoted to the provincial cabinet Thursday to be the minister of environment and minister responsible for SaskWater and the Water Security Agency in the cabinet.
He takes over from another Northwest-region MLA, Scott Moe of Rosthern-Shellbrook, who now becomes minister of Advanced Education. The moves are part of a small but significant cabinet shuffle that involved some top-level portfolios, including finance.
The file Cox takes over is one he has considerable familiarity with. Cox has been active for some time in advancing the issue of keeping Quagga and Zebra mussels out of Saskatchewan, an issue he learned about through his involvement in the Pacific North West Economic Region.
Just recently Cox and Moe were at Territorial Place Mall where they had set up an informational display on the issue, where they urged boat owners to ensure any boats brought in from outside the province are kept clean of Quagga and Zebra mussels.
As well, the issue of water and water security has been of obvious significance to the Battlefords over the years, with its proximity to the North Saskatchewan River and Battle River and to several other lakes and streams.
For Cox, the move to cabinet level is another in a series of promotions up the ladder in his first term in the legislature.
Cox has moved up from committee member ranks to Crown and Central Agencies chair, then to government whip and now leading the Environment Ministry.
But any chance the new environment minister had for a “honeymoon period” quickly went out the window.
The Official Opposition wasted no time roasting the appointment. The NDP caucus issued a news release that unloaded on the Battlefords MLA.
“Herb Cox counts zebra mussels as a higher priority than greenhouse gas emissions,” the missive read.
“Moments after being appointed as Saskatchewan's new environment minister, Herb Cox told media Thursday he doesn’t really know what he thinks about climate change. When pushed repeatedly on whether he personally believes that climate change is real, he said, ‘Those are the kinds of the things that I want to talk to my officials about and find out where we're at as far as the science goes.’”
The release also included a quote from NDP environment critic and Saskatoon Nutana MLA Cathy Sproule.
“We know there are Sask. Party backbenchers and candidates who are climate science deniers – including at least one who has said it's a myth based on witchcraft reasoning – but I think it's a disgrace to appoint someone to be the environment minister who doesn’t know or won’t say if he even believes in climate change,” said Sproule.
Even with the legislature out of session, the crossfire between the two parties goes on.
Appointing Cox to cabinet was one of a number of moves announced by the premier. The obvious reason for the shuffling was to get ready for the election in the spring of 2016 and put in place the replacements for Ken Krawetz as deputy premier and finance minister. Krawetz, Canora-Pelly MLA, is retiring from politics after the next election.
Taking on the role of deputy premier will be Don McMorris, the MLA for Indian Head-Milestone and a longtime veteran of the Sask. Party front bench. He retains his portfolios as minister responsible for Crown Investments Corporation, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and Saskatchewan Government Insurance.
The other big news is the appointment of Kevin Doherty, MLA for Regina Northeast, as finance minister. He had been serving as minister of Advanced Education and had been a member of the treasury board, an experience Wall pointed to in announcing the appointment in a statement Thursday.
“This year, he played an important role in dealing with our budget challenges so we could deliver a balanced budget without raising taxes. I know Kevin working together with treasury board and caucus will help keep our province’s finances and our economy strong.”
Wall described McMorris as “a strong and reliable minister during his time as minister of Health and Highways and Infrastructure and in his current portfolios.
“He is well-respected in our cabinet and caucus and will make a great deputy premier.”
Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter also gets additional responsibilities as he adds minister responsible for SaskTel to his duties.
Outside of cabinet, Cox is replaced by Saskatoon Sutherland MLA Paul Merriman as government whip.
While Krawetz departs cabinet, he has been tapped to serve as legislative secretary to the premier for Saskatchewan-Ukraine relations, an issue of importance to him.
The departure of Krawetz from the ranks of cabinet is a significant one for the Saskatchewan Party. For him, it ends a long tenure in the top ranks of the party in the legislature.
The former Liberal was one of the party’s eight original founding MLAs in 1997 and he was interim leader during the early years in opposition.
Krawetz has often been to the Battlefords on government business, including several post-budget breakfasts hosted by the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce as well as the dedication ceremony of the Holodomor monument in North Battleford in November of last year.
“It’s going to be strange not having Ken sitting next to me in the assembly and I will miss him,” said Wall, “but I think he deserves a little more personal time after serving in some of the busiest and most important roles in the legislature for two decades.”
