Long-time MLA Lyle Stewart is resigning as a member of the legislature for health-related reasons.
Stewart said in a press release that he has been living with prostate cancer for a number of years, but his condition was worsened “to the point that I can no longer do this job to the standard I expect of myself and that my constituents deserve.”
Stewart has sat as an MLA for over 23 years and was re-elected five times. He was first elected in 1999 in the now-defunct Thunder Creek riding that included rural communities around Moose Jaw including Caronport, Central Butte, Elbow, Eyebrow, Chaplin and Mortlach.
He represented Thunder Creek until the 2016 provincial election when the electoral boundaries were changed. He was then elected MLA for Lumsden-Morse from 2016 to the present.
Stewart briefly served as interim leader of the Saskatchewan Party and Leader of the Opposition in 2004. He has previously held cabinet positions as Minister of Enterprise and Innovation, Minister of Agriculture, Provincial Secretary and Legislative Secretary responsible for Provincial Autonomy.
Stewart’s resignation is effective March 10. A by-election will be held within six months of his resignation.