New minister on the Aboriginal file in Saskatchewan

Wednesday, August 24th, 2016 11:15am

MLA Donna Harpauer is Saskatchewan’s new Minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs. Premier Brad Wall announced his new Cabinet on Aug. 23.

MLA Jennifer Campeau becomes Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Education (First Nations Student Achievement).

Harpauer was raised on a farm near Guernsey, Sask. She is MLA for Humboldt-Watrous. She received a Medical Laboratory Technologist certificate from Kelsey Institute in Saskatoon, interned at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, and worked at Microbiology Lab from 1978 to 1983. She married and farmed in the LeRoy area, and raised three daughters.

She was first elected to the legislature in 1999. She was re-elected in 2003, 2007, in 2011 and 2016.

Toiling in opposition, she served as critic for Highways, Agriculture, Investment Saskatchewan, Crown Investments Corporation, SaskPower and Sask Energy.

From November 2007 to 2010, she served as Minister of Social Services. From 2010 to 2012, she served as Minister of Education. She was appointed Minister of Crown Investments in May of 2012 and returned to Social Services in June of 2014, adding Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and Status of Women to that portfolio.

Campeau represents Saskatoon Fairview and was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016.

Prior to entering politics, she was an instructor at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a PhD student. Campeau holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan and a Business Management undergraduate degree from the University of Lethbridge.

In 2014, she was appointed Minister of Central Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Transportation Company. She is from Yellow Quill First Nation.