However the next political campaign goes, Estevan voters will have a new voice representing them at the legislature in Regina.
Estevan’s four-term Saskatchewan Party MLA Doreen Eagles announced today she will not be running again in the next provincial election, expected in 2016.
Eagles has served as the Saskatchewan Party Caucus Chair since 2006.
“It has been a great honour to serve the people of Estevan and to serve all the people of Saskatchewan as part of the Saskatchewan Party government,” Eagles said in a press release issued this morning. “I believe Premier Brad Wall has provided tremendous leadership to our province over the past seven years and it’s been great to see Saskatchewan take its rightful place as a leader in Canada. But after fifteen years as an MLA, it’s now time to see someone else represent the Saskatchewan Party in Estevan in the next election.”
Eagles was first elected in 1999 with 48 per cent of the popular vote and a margin of just over 1,100 votes. She increased both her popular vote and margin of victory in every election, earning 79 per cent of the vote in 2011.
Wall said Eagles is one of the unsung leaders of the Saskatchewan Party.
“In additional to all her hard work the people of Estevan constituency that has help build a new Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute, several major highways projects including the new Estevan bypass, nearly 400 low-income housing units, the new long-term care facility in Radville, a new CT scanner coming to Estevan and the world's only large scale clean coal project, Doreen’s work as Caucus Chair has been extremely important to our government,” Wall said. “It’s not always easy managing a large caucus where members often have differing views on important issues, but our caucus has remained very united during our time in government, largely due to Doreen Eagles.
“She is a good friend to all of us and we will miss her leadership.”
The Saskatchewan Party has now nominated 48 candidates with five more nominations scheduled for early in the new year. 38 MLAs and 10 new candidates have been nominated to date, giving the Saskatchewan Party a strong balance of experience and renewal.
