Saskatoon MLA resigns as speaker, considers federal run

Corey Tochor has resigned as Speaker of the Saskatchewan legislature in order to consider a run at federal politics.

Notably, if he decides to go ahead, Tochor would be seeking the federal Conservative Party nomination against  Saskatoon-University incumbent MP Brad Trost.

The deadline to apply to be nominated against a sitting Conservative MP was Dec. 15, 2017.

“I can’t make a decision while wearing the Speaker’s hat, it has to be impartial,” Tochor told reporters at the legislature Friday.

He will take the weekend to decide, calling the move to federal politics “a big commitment.” But he added he wouldn’t keep people waiting too long to know.

The other decision Tochor must make is whether he will remain as a provincial MLA. He was elected for Saskatoon-Eastview in November 2011.

There is a tradition for sitting MLAs to remain as backbenchers while waiting for a federal writ to drop. New Democrat John Solomon did just that before he became an MP in the 1993 federal election.

Tochor insisted he will make the decision to run before he makes any decision about his current role.

“I think, first things first, is to make a decision whether this is the right thing for the family, we’ll follow through with the other decisions down the road,” Tocher said.

The role of the speaker chairs debates and calls the MLAs to order. Elected by the sitting MLAs’ it is typically a candidate from the government side.

Tochor was the second youngest speaker when elected to the role in May 2016.