Bronwyn Eyre

Bronwyn Olivia Eyre is a Canadian politician. Eyre is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLA), a role in which she represented the electoral district of Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota from 2016 to 2024 as a member of the Saskatchewan Party. She was the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Saskatchewan, the first woman to hold that position.

Early life and career

Eyre attended McGill University and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a law degree in 1996. She established a career in radio broadcasting with News Talk 650 and CJME in Saskatchewan and as a columnist with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Calgary Herald. Before entering provincial politics, Eyre was a Saskatoon public school board trustee.

Political career

Eyre was first elected in the 2016 provincial election in the newly established riding of Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota. Eyre was re-elected in the 2020 provincial election. In the 2024 provincial election, she stood for election in the new riding of Saskatoon Stonebridge. She was defeated by Darcy Warrington of the New Democratic Party.

Minister of Education (2016–2018)

Eyre was named to Premier Brad Wall's cabinet as Minister of Advanced Education in August 2016. When Eyre was given the post, she was challenged about a 2011 column in which she compared climate science to "witchcraft reasoning" and downplayed the threat of climate change. In response, Eyre claimed that she had meant the column to be humorous. In August 2017, Eyre became Minister of Education. In that position, Eyre came under scrutiny—and faced calls to resign—for a speech she gave in the Legislature suggesting that Indigenous history had become 'too infused' throughout the province's education curriculum. In the speech, Eyre shared an anecdote about her child's homework that was proven misleading. Eyre apologized for using her child's homework in the speech and affirmed support for treaty education. Backlash prompted the government to maintain Indigenous components of the curriculum in a planned review.

Minister of Energy and Resources (2018–2022)

Scott Moe succeeded Wall as premier in January 2018, and on February 2, Eyre was named Minister of Energy and Resources in Moe's cabinet. Eyre expressed skepticism about transitioning away from fossil fuels, and worked to expand the province's oil and gas industries, as well as its application of carbon capture storage and utilization.

Minister of Justice and Attorney-General (2022–2024)

On May 31, 2022, Moe shuffled his cabinet and named Eyre the first female Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Saskatchewan. Eyre stated that addressing "federal jurisdictional overreach", particularly as it pertained to resources and the environment, would be a top priority. In November 2022, Eyre introduced the Saskatchewan First Act, which was meant to assert provincial jurisdiction over natural resources and affirm their importance to the provincial economy. The economic analysis the government used to justify the act was criticized by experts. The Saskatchewan First Act itself drew widespread criticism, particularly from First Nations who pointed out that Treaties covering Saskatchewan lands predated the foundation of the province. In response to the introduction of the Act, Onion Lake Cree Nation launched a lawsuit against the province. Eyre has defended the legislation, stating that it is not a violation of Treaty rights and that provincial jurisdiction over resources is already a part of the Canadian constitution.

In October 2023, the Saskatchewan government passed new legislation called the Parents' Bill of Rights, a controversial bill enshrining in law policies that restrict sexual education and require parental consent for students under the age of 16 who wish to have their chosen pronouns and names affirmed at school. A Court of King's Bench justice granted an injunction against the initial policy, warning that it risked causing "irreparable harm" to vulnerable youth. After the injunction, the government opted to use the notwithstanding clause to enact the policy. The use of the clause, which came before the court process had completed, was widely criticized by legal experts. Eyre defended the government's use of the clause, and stated that the government was "willing to be judged" on the policy.

On November 28, 2023, Eyre nominated the first tribunal under the Saskatchewan First Act, meant to assess the economic costs of new federal Clean Electricity Regulations.

Electoral record

Cabinet positions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyre, Bronwyn
Living people
Women government ministers of Canada
Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Party MLAs
Women MLAs in Saskatchewan
Politicians from Saskatoon
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Saskatchewan school board members
Canadian people of Irish descent
University of Saskatchewan alumni
Canadian people of French descent
Canadian radio personalities
1971 births
Canadian people of Czech descent
21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan