MLA and Sask Party founding member June Draude to go for fifth term in 2011
REGINA—Saskatchewan Party MLA June Draude will seek a fifth term in office as the party’s candidate in Kelvington-Wadena for the 2011 provincial election. Draude will be officially nominated tonight at Greenwater Lake Provincial Park.
Draude, who was one of the eight founding members of the party in 1997, says it has been a true honour to serve in the first Saskatchewan Party government.
“When we first started the Saskatchewan Party, I don’t think I ever could have imagined how rewarding it would be to finally do the work that Saskatchewan people, and the people of Kelvington-Wadena, had been asking the previous administration to do for years,” Draude said. “There is a renewed pride in our province and I’m pleased to have been a part of the team that has worked to move Saskatchewan forward.”
Draude says that the Saskatchewan Party government has made significant inroads on a number of issues that had frustrated people for decades, including support for agricultural producers, increased funding for education capital, record road construction and debt repayment, and decreases in wait lists for people with intellectual disabilities.
“Locally, highways are getting fixed, there’s a new school in Porcupine Plain, there’s been a reduction in the education portion of property taxes, and cellular coverage has expanded so that it now covers most of the area,” Draude said.
Draude was first elected in 1995 as a member of the Liberal Party. She was re-elected three times as a Saskatchewan Party member in 1999, 2003 and 2007. Since 2007, she has served as Minister of First Nations and Métis Relations and Minister Responsible for Crown Investments Corporation, Information Technology Office, Information Services Corporation, Saskatchewan Government Insurance, the Public Service Commission, and as the Provincial Secretary. In June, Premier Brad Wall appointed Draude as the Minister of Social Services and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women.
The awareness, prevention and diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder are extremely important to Draude. She has also been credited for her work to bring the scourge of crystal meth and youth addictions to light. She was awarded the 2005 Woman of Influence Award and in 2007, the Yellow Quill Saulteaux First Nations bestowed on her the title of Honorary Elder for her work with First Nations.
“I believe there is still more work that I can do and that’s why I decided to run for another term as MLA,” Draude noted. “I’m honoured to be the Minister of Social Services and look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan.”
With Draude’s nomination as the party’s candidate for Kelvington-Wadena, the Saskatchewan Party will have nominated 27 candidates for the 2011 provincial election.
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Media Advisory: The Kelvington-Wadena nomination will take place tonight, Friday, July 23, 2010 at the Greenwater Lake Provincial Park Hall at 7:30 p.m. For more information: Jessica Paul, Saskatchewan Party, 306.570.7400 (cell) or 306.359.1638 or 1.800.966.9611.
