Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate Alanna Koch stopped in Mossbank and Assiniboia to meet agricultural producers and community members on September 13. Koch also dropped into the Assiniboia Times office for an interview on a range of topics.
She plans to visit every one of the constituencies in the province, a big goal but an important one. “It’s a lot of travel but it is something that I am absolutely dedicated to doing,” she added.
The Saskatchewan Party is seeking a new leader since Premier Brad Wall’s late-August announcement that he is leaving politics. The campaign has added pressure because the new leader doesn’t just take over the party but becomes the province’s next premier until the next provincial election.
Koch is a fresh face in politics and may be new to elected office, but is certainly an old hand in the political world. She describes herself as an “inside-outsider”. She has spent 8.5 years working on the political side of government. Koch has served as Deputy Minister to the Premier and Deputy Minister of Agriculture. She also knows the private sector and NGO world, running a private business with her husband, her own consulting business, as well as heading a non-profit organization.
She has also represented Canada and Saskatchewan internationally in government WTO negotiations in Switzerland and she has been on the public service side of government. “I bring a very good knowledge of government and of politics,” she stated. “I have been there to advise the government on its decisions.” Most recently, she’s been in charge of 11,000 public servants as well as helped implement government decisions.
