Gordon S. Wyant,
KC (born 1957) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...
with the
Saskatchewan Party
The Saskatchewan Party (SP or Sask Party) is a conservative political party in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was founded in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative ...
for the constituency of
Saskatoon Northwest from 2010 to 2024. Wyant served in the cabinets of both
Brad Wall
Bradley John Wall (born November 24, 1965) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 14th premier of Saskatchewan from November 21, 2007, until February 2, 2018. He is the fourth longest-tenured premier in the province's history.
W ...
and
Scott Moe
Scott Moe (born July 31, 1973) is a Canadian politician serving as the 15th and current premier of Saskatchewan since February 2, 2018. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook, first el ...
, including two stints as Attorney General. Prior to entering provincial politics, Wyant served on
Saskatoon City Council
Saskatoon City Council is the governing body of Saskatoon, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, ...
from 2003 to 2010.
Early life and career
Wyant was born and raised in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. He earned both bachelor's and law degrees from the
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
.
After receiving his law degree in 1986, Wyant was admitted to the bar in 1987 and practiced corporate law in Saskatoon.
In 2008, he was appointed
Queen's Counsel
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
.
Wyant served as a member of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners and on the Board of Directors of Saskatoon's
Credit Union Centre. He was also a public school board trustee from 2000 to 2002.
Wyant worked as the business manager for
Serge LeClerc before LeClerc was elected as MLA for Saskatoon Northwest as a member of the Saskatchewan Party in 2007.
Political career
Saskatoon Public School Board
Wyant was a Public School Board Trustee from 2000 until 2003. He served two years as Board Chair.
Saskatoon City Council
Wyant was first elected to Saskatoon's City Council in 2003, representing Ward 5, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2009. During his time on council, Wyant was considered to be part of a conservative bloc of councillors who tended to align their votes.
He was a supporter of
curbside recycling and a critic of the rapid development of "
big box" shopping centres.
Saskatchewan Party MLA
Serge LeClerc resigned as Saskatoon Northwest MLA in 2010, triggering a by-election for the seat. Wyant ran to succeed LeClerc under the Saskatchewan Party banner. He was elected MLA for Saskatoon Northwest on October 18, 2010, and consequently resigned from City Council. Wyant went on to be re-elected in the
2011 provincial election; he was then named Deputy House Leader and in 2012 was named to Premier Brad Wall's cabinet as Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
After Wall announced in August 2017 that he would be retiring, Wyant resigned from cabinet and entered the race to succeed Wall as Saskatchewan Party leader and Saskatchewan Premier.
During his leadership campaign, Wyant promised a public inquiry into the
Global Transportation Hub land scandal—an issue he first identified and flagged to the party in 2012 when serving as Attorney General—and pledged a $30 million increase in funding for education.
Wyant criticized the emergence of abortion as a campaign issue, stating that the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
had offered "finality" on the issue. While he was criticized for his membership with the federal
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
—which he cancelled in September 2017—Wyant promised to continue the party's combative approach to federal relations.
Wyant ultimately finished fourth in the
2018 leadership election after being eliminated on the third ballot; the election was won by Scott Moe.
After Moe was sworn in as Premier, Wyant was appointed Deputy Premier and Minister of Education.
He ended his advocacy for an inquiry into the GTH scandal, stating that it was the government's position to "move on" from it. Wyant was in charge of the education portfolio during the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and guided the implementation of the province's plans for reopening schools in the fall of 2020. In a late 2020 cabinet shuffle, Wyant took over the justice portfolio, beginning a second stint as Attorney General; he stayed in that role until May 2022, when he was named the advanced education minister. On October 12, 2023, Wyant voted with the government to introduce the controversial Bill 137—the Education
Parents' Bill of Rights Amendment Act. Wyant was absent for subsequent votes, including the vote that enshrined the Parents' Bill of Rights into law. Despite the absences, Premier Moe stated that he was "100 per cent" confident that Wyant supported the legislation.
On February 6, 2024, despite having already been acclaimed the Saskatchewan Party candidate for the renamed riding of
Saskatoon Chief Mistawasis, Wyant announced that he would not seek re-election in the
2024 provincial election. The same week, Wyant suggested that he was contemplating running to become mayor of Saskatoon in the fall 2024 municipal election. He was shuffled out of cabinet on May 17, and on June 10 he resigned as MLA for Saskatoon Northwest.
Saskatoon Mayoral campaign
On June 10, 2024, Wyant officially announced his run for mayor of Saskatoon in the
2024 municipal election; Wyant boasted about his connection with the Saskatchewan Party and stated that his campaign would focus on the planks of public safety, affordability, and transparency.
Wyant ultimately finished as runner-up to two-term councillor
Cynthia Block
Cynthia Marie Block is a Canadian politician and the current mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Block was elected in the 2024 Saskatchewan municipal elections and is the city's 29th mayor. Block is the first woman to be elected mayor of Saskatoon. ...
.
Personal life
Wyant has four children with his wife, Christine Hrudka.
Electoral history
Provincial cabinet positions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyant, Gordon
Living people
1957 births
Saskatchewan Party MLAs
Saskatoon city councillors
University of Saskatchewan alumni
University of Saskatchewan College of Law alumni
Attorneys general of Saskatchewan
Lawyers in Saskatchewan
Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan
Deputy premiers of Saskatchewan
21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan