Saskatchewan Party founder and former deputy premier Ken Krawetz dies at 75

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Before politics, Krawetz worked as a teacher and school board trustee.

Provincial politics

Saskatchewan Party founder and former deputy premier Ken Krawetz dies at 75

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“This one hurts a lot,” Premier Scott Moe said in a statement shared on social media.

“In any room Ken was in, whether as a teacher, school board trustee, opposition or government caucus member, cabinet minister or at the kitchen table talking to a constituent, Ken was always the guy who brought the logic, integrity, compassion and common sense to arrive at the right decision.”

Moe said Krawetz loved his province and his community, but loved his friends and family more than anything.

“He even loved the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Moe added.

“His big heart struggled at times, but it was only because he shared pieces of it with so many.”

The premier said flags at the Legislative Building in Regina will be lowered to half-mast in honour of Krawetz.

First elected as a Liberal MLA in the legislature in 1995 in the Canora-Pelly constituency, Krawetz helped change the province’s political landscape when he joined forces to create a new party.

In 1997, he, along with fellow Liberals Bob Bjornerud, Rod Gantefour and June Draude, united with Progressive Conservative members Ben Heppner, Bill Boyd, Dan D’Autremont and Don Toth to form the Saskatchewan Party

Krawetz served as its interim leader as the official opposition party until Elwin Hermanson was elected leader by the party membership in 1998.

When the party found electoral success in 2007, he served as deputy premier under Brad Wall and held the position of education and finance minister.

In 2014, Krawetz announced he would not seek re-election, serving until the 2016 general election.

On his last day in the legislature, Krawetz said he hoped he would be remembered as someone who was “in favour and in support of building things and growing this province and that you use this time [as a politician] to the best of your ability.”

He joked that being a minister can be hard when it takes you away from family, “a 16-year-old son maybe took advantage of Dad not being around as much.”

And in his final words saying he believed Saskatchewan was still ahead.

Current Education Minister, Everett Hindley, on Facebook wrote, “Few can match the respect that Ken commanded in a room, and his booming voice that echoed throughout the legislative chamber. We miss you, Ken.”

Proud of his Ukrainian heritage, Krawetz served as Legislative Secretary for Saskatchewan-Ukraine relations. In 2009, he was presented with Prince Yaroslav the Wise — the highest honour a non-citizen can receive from Ukraine. It was in honour of his work for Saskatchewan to recognize and remember Holodomor.

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