MLA Nadine Wilson is handing over leadership of the Saskatchewan United Party to its former deputy leader Jon Hromek.Hromek, who placed second in a by-election last August, shared his vision from the rotunda of the legislative building on Thursday."Our job over the next five months is to work hard to show them our vision and earn their vote in the upcoming election. We will not shy away from the tough decisions that lie ahead. I understand the weight of the responsibility that comes with this position. It is a new and exciting journey," he said."Together we will strive to create a province that we all call proud, a province where opportunity knows no bounds and a province where the future is bright."Hromek acknowledged Wilson for her "visionary leadership and unwavering dedication" as the party's fouding leader."Your commitment to our shared values and goals has inspired many, and we are deeply appreciative of your contributions and sacrifices."Wilson said the party had "championed causes that matter to the people of this province . . . to bring the chance we desperately need" and she was "thrilled" to see Hromek take over."I've been working with John since the last election. I've been so impressed with him and his natural abilities as a leader and a problem solver. His vision for the future of Saskatchewan has inspired me to make the decision to pass the torch of leadership to John."His dedication, integrity and unwavering commitment to the people of Saskatchewan have made him a true beacon of hope and inspiration for us all."Wilson was first elected MLA for Saskatchewan Rivers as a Saskatchewan Party candidate in the 2007 provincial election, and was re-elected in 2011, 2016, and 2020. She left caucus in September 2022 and became the Sask. United leader after the latter party was registered in November 2022. She will seek re-election as MLA.Hromek has founded and managed numerous oil exploration and production companies. He is the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Adonai Resources II Corporation. He gave about $200,000 of the party's $500,000 of total donations in its first year of existence. Hromek finished second in the Lumsden-Morse by-election on August 10 with 1,121 votes and 22.7% of the total. Sask Party nominee Blaine McLeod easily retained the seat for his party with 2,648 votes, taking 53.7% of the 4,933 votes cast. Kaitlyn Stadnyk of the New Democratic Party was third with 1,064 votes and 21.6% of the total.Two other by-elections held at the time led to the Sask. Party surrendering two seats in Regina to the NDP. At a press conference following, Moe suggested smaller right-leaning parties were a factor."When you split the vote — and people should think about this as they go into polling locations this year and in any election — when you split the vote, you quite likely end up with something that you don't like," Moe said.Many Saskatchewan Party MLAs are not seeking re-election in the fall, some of them long-serving.Moe was asked Thursday if some of them didn't worry him much, given their previous strong support."We're worried about every seat in the province," he said."All MLAs and those candidates that might be running, they have an opportunity to get in front of the people that they're vying to represent and to put forward what their plan is."Hromek would not say how many candidates had been confirmed for his party this fall, but that they would in both rural and urban ridings."We've taken the time to go through full vetting processes," he said."We have a lot of good candidates already ready to go. And we've got more coming all the time."When asked how Sask United would govern differently, Hromek said the province was "very heavily overregulated" under Sask. Party rule. He said that the "middle management" out of the scope of the bureaucracy had grown 37% since 2007."That's faster than our population. That is not a conservative thing. We believe in small government, we believe in strong fiscal management," Hromek explained. "Commodity prices have been at record highs. So for us to be running deficits at this point in time when we've gone through record highs and commodity prices--there's some fiscal management issues, and that's something that we want to address."
