A new face is taking on the role of Provincial Agriculture Minister.
Premier Scott Moe unveiled his new Cabinet Thursday morning that included Daryl Harrison taking over the Agriculture file from David Marit, who had been in the role since 2018. Marit becomes the Minister of Highways – a position he previously held before moving to Agriculture – as well as Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement. This is Harrison’s first time as a member of Cabinet.
Harrison, who was re-elected as MLA for Cannington in October’s provincial election, has roots in the ag sector. According to his bio on the Saskatchewan Party website, Harrison represented Zone 1 as a director of the Saskatchewan Stock Grower’s Association and is a cattle rancher. In government, Harrison has worked as the Legislative Secretary for Value Added Agriculture and Livestock Engagement.
“We very much look forward to working and continuing to build on the work we’ve done in the past with Minister Marit and continuing that on with Minister Harrison,” said Grant McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. McLellan says the organization already has a good working relationship with Harrison, given his experience as a Legislative Secretary and also noting Harrison attended a recent SCA District meeting near Kenosee. McLellan says they’ll be reaching out to the Ministry of Agriculture as soon as possible to set a formal meeting with Harrison to discuss various issues affecting the provincial cattle sector.
President of the Saskatchewan Stock Grower’s Association Jeff Yorga also thanked Marit for his time serving as Ag Minister, noting the last few years have been challenging to deal with from drought to people leaving the cattle industry. Yorga looks forward to working with Harrison. “I know he has a background in livestock – he’s got cows on his own place and so he understands the need, he understands the file, and he understands what we’ve been working on for the last number of years and so I’m confident we’re going to be able to get some movement on the Business Risk Management files that we’ve been working on, and looking forward to continuing and making progress.” added Yorga.
The Stock Grower’s, Cattlemen’s Association, and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) all congratulated Harrison for his appointment and Marit for his time as Ag Minister on social media.
NDP’s reaction to Cabinet appointments
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck welcomed the Premier’s new Cabinet and wished them luck in their responsibilities but that’s where the pleasantries ended. While she didn’t mention agriculture in her statement, she criticized the SaskParty’s platform for the lack of new investments in hospitals or healthcare workers, and the lack of a plan to provide cost-of-living relief. Beck was also critical of Jeremy Cockerill moving to Education from Healthcare, saying “relations between teachers and the government hit an all-time low when Jeremy Cockrill was the Minister of Education. Saskatchewan already has the worst rates of healthcare worker retention in Canada, and Cockrill’s confrontational style will make a bad situation worse.”
The NDP also point out of the 16 cabinet ministers announced Thursday, only one was a newly elected MLA – Eric Schmalz who is the Minister of Government Relations, Minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs.
“Each of the 15 other members has sat for years – or even decades – in a Sask. Party caucus that has driven Saskatchewan into last place. Rearranging the deckchairs won’t change that.” says the NDP in a statement.