Ken Cheveldayoff officially joins race to lead Saskatchewan Party

A crowd of more than 150 people cheered on veteranSaskatchewan Party MLA KenCheveldayoffas he launched his officialleadership bid Monday.

Cheveldayoffjoked his campaign may be one of the "worst-kept secrets in Saskatchewan", after he steppeddown last week from his cabinet post as Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport.

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Describing himself as a "centrist, very much a moderate",Cheveldayoffsaid he is the only candidate so far who has strong ties to both rural and urban Saskatchewan.

He joins TinaBeaudry-Mellor,AlannaKoch, GordonWyantand Jeremy Harrison in the race to succeed Brad Wall.

'We've made some mistakes'

Cheveldayoffsaid his government has "made some mistakes" in calculating the provincial budget, and in handling the Global Transportation Hub.

"What we now need to do is take a step back,realize what we've done wrong and prepare for another 10 years of growth," said Cheveldayoff, who has bounced in and out ofcabinet posts during the Saskatchewan Party's 10 years in office.

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Cheveldayoff said the GTH would be "better run in the private sector"and should be sold to free up money for education and mental health care.

"We'll be admittingwhere we've made some mistakes, and more importantly looking forward and having a plan to go forward," Cheveldayoffsaid. "I'm ready for that job."

Fascination with politics began early

Cheveldayoffis a familiar face at Conservative Party events in Saskatoon. He was first elected in Saskatoon Silver Springsin 2003, and currently represents northeast residents in SaskatoonWillowgrove.

He attributes his fascination with politics to the "profound impact" John Diefenbaker made on him, the day the former prime minister flew by helicopter to his school yard in Blaine Lake.

"I was so excited to meet him that I ran out there and I was the first one in line to meet him. And I was so excited that I ran to the back of the line so I could meet him again," he told supporters Monday.

Cheveldayoffwent on towin the first Queen Elizabeth II scholarship for excellence in parliamentary studies, and served as a page in the House of Commons while attendingCarleton University.

Hiswife, Trish Cheveldayoff, was a longtime anchor at Saskatoon's CFQC television station. Their son attends the University of Saskatchewan, and their daughter is finishing Grade 12 at St. Joseph's High School.

A self-described"centrist", Cheveldayoff attended Saskatoon's flag-raising for Pride Week in 2014 alongside then-MLA Rob Norris.

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To date, Cheveldayoff's lone endorsement from within the Saskatchewan Party comes from caucus chair Randy Weekes.

"I think to be fair, most of them are sitting and waiting to see who's all in," said Cheveldayoff.

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