Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod shared his thoughts following his being named to the provincial government’s cabinet with a new portfolio.
McLeod previously served as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health, the Provincial Secretary and Legislative Secretary to the Premier.
He will now serve as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Corrections, and Policing in the Saskatchewan Party’s new cabinet.
“I'm incredibly flattered and honored that the premier would ask me to take on this new role and I'm excited for the opportunity to meet new people and new stakeholders and get a look at this new file, which is going to be quite a large one, but I'm honored that he would trust me with that task.” McLeod said regarding his new appointment.
McLeod was asked if his having a background in law would be an asset in handling matters of policing, corrections and justice within the province.
“I certainly don't think it can hurt. I think lawyers bring a skill set just in terms of how they approach problems and try and think of both sides of any issue and any dispute and I hope that that skill set is one that I can bring to tackling issues as they may arise no matter what file I am working on or what situation I'm dealing with.”
“As a lawyer certainly being asked to serve as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General is an incredible honor and I'm very flattered that the premiers trusted me with that file.”
As he prepares to serve a new role in the provincial government, McLeod spoke about his first priorities as Minister of Justice and the adjustment time needed.
“I spent the morning just working with my team, reviewing some of the things that were already happening under Minister Eyre and Minister Merriman with both of those files. So just getting up to speed and familiarizing myself with the work that's already going on, there's an incredible team of people in the ministry that I'm looking forward to working with and then certainly meeting with the stakeholders across the province that each of those file's touch upon.” said McLeod.
“It'll be another steep learning curve, but I'm excited for the opportunity and certainly very confident in the team surrounding me that will bring me up to speed and help with the day-to-day affairs.”
While honoured and excited to step into his new role in cabinet, McLeod noted that his top priority is his constituents.
“I am just incredibly honored that I get to serve in this capacity, but I want to make sure that I remind the people of Moose Jaw North that my first priority is always as their representative in the Legislative Assembly and encourage anybody that has any concerns or issues that they want to talk to me about. Please reach out to my office. I'm always happy to look after home first.”