Evan Bray Show: Hromek announces interest to run as Sask. Party Leader

Jon Hromek is still interested in staying in politics days after he stepped down at the leader of the Saskatchewan United Party.

The Sask. United Party did not win any seats in the provincial election in October.

Hromek spoke with The Evan Bray Show on Friday morning on what he hopes will come next in his political career.

Listen to the full interview here:

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bray: You make the decision that you’re stepping away? Let me start there. Did you make that decision? Or was this a decision that the party made that it was time for a new leader?

Hromek: No, it was 100 per cent my decision. That’s why I took a lot of time after the election. I wanted to reflect on it. People might remember, the whole reason I got into politics, originally was because I had felt that my historical party, the Sask. Party, wasn’t representing me anymore, and it took a long time for me to even jump into politics. I come from the oil business. I’m a business guy, so I take my decisions very seriously, and I take time to make them. So this was my decision, 100 per cent my decision.

Now I had you in, and we had talked with Scott Moe, Carla Beck, yourself, right after the election, and I asked you, what’s next? At that time, you were fairly non committal. You basically said, ‘take some time to reflect and make a decision.’ Was this in your mind at that time? Or was it literally the month and a half, two months since the election that it’s sunk in that this was the right decision for you?

Hromek: No, it was in my mind. I got involved with with Sask. United Party was I felt politically homeless. This party had been started. The founders came to me. I got to know them. I saw that their vision and what that party stood for was very similar to what originally the Sask. Party stood for and so I could see myself getting involved with them moving forward. We thought, I thought as well, that it was important to give the people an option in Saskatchewan, to give them a vehicle for change. The people spoke very clearly in this election, and what they said was was twofold. Number one is, we want change, yes, but we want the change to come through the Saskatchewan Party and through government, and through the leadership thereof. Then the other thing that the electorate said very clearly, was, we are, under no circumstances, willing to gamble and get an NDP government here in Saskatchewan.

When you say, ‘I found myself homeless from a political standpoint,’ were you at one time a Sask. Party guy?

Hromek: Oh absolutely. My dad was actually the principal of Beechy. Beechy is where Elwin Hermanson was from, the original leader of the Sask. Party. We went to the same church. I’ve always been a Sask. Party guy. What happened was the Sask. Party just kind of moved away with time and that and that does happen. I think right now we’re at a crossroads in this province and the Sask. Party, the government, needs to is going through an identity crisis. I firmly believe that they need to go back to their roots. They need to go back to their base, back to representing the people just like they had done, just like their original mandate was – we need to get back to that.

If any way that I can help that, because, as you know, I’ve done town halls right across this province. I’ve met thousands of people. People want change, but what they’re looking for is they’re looking for that change to come through. Obviously through the Sask. Party and obviously through leadership change. The whole reason I got involved in politics is to represent the people and to bring their voices back, rather than, being isolated at the legislature from from the grassroots people. That’s the whole reason I got involved. What happened was, after the election, my phone just started blowing up. Different groups emails all the time were coming in. People are saying ‘Jon, are you willing to run for the Sask. Party? Jon, we loved your policies. We love your vision for the province. We love your willingness to sacrifice for this province.’ Are you willing to hear what the electorate is telling you, and basically, bring the family back together again?

Bray: So that’s interesting, Jon. You’re basically saying that this is not a complete step away from politics. This is maybe a bit of a refocus for you. You’re considering running now for the Sask. Party?

Hromek: This whole time I’ve taken is (to decide) do I want to stay in politics? Or do I not want to? Step one.

What’s the answer to that?

Hromek: The answer to it is, I love politics. I had no idea I would.

Clearly you love politics because you are staying here. You’re saying you’re not going anywhere.

Hromek: Exactly. To me, it was more than just meeting the people and being there to try to solve a problem, like I’m a problem solver. That’s what I love to do. Hearing their stories, and representing them. I firmly believe we gotta bring that back to politics. So step one, I made the decision, no, I want to stay in politics. Okay? Step two, what? What is the electorate telling me? What is Saskatchewan saying it wants to do? Because if you’re going to represent the people, then you better be listening to them, and you better be willing to act for them. And what they’ve told me clearly, not just with their vote, but with all the phone calls and all the emails after, is ‘Jon, we want you to get involved with the Sask. Party.’ I thought about it long and hard, and that’s why it took a long time for me to even make this decision, because when I make a decision, I make a decision.

What’s the future of Sask. United? And what’s the future of of Jon Hromek? Do you go back to the oil business, or do you stay in politics? Can you talk about who has reached out to you? Can you, when you say you’ve received a lot of of texts and emails and support, can you give us any sense of that? Have you heard from people inside the Sask. Party?

Hromek: No, I don’t want to get into that. This isn’t coming from the Sask. Party. This is coming from people across the province and that represent business groups, that represent, farmers that are people in urban and rural Saskatchewan. This isn’t something that parties, or the Sask. Party reaching out directly to me. No, this isn’t that. This is from the people. But remember, the people are the members of that party, and that’s why, like, I encourage people, when I got involved in politics, it was a step to get involved, and a step to move forward. If we want to see change in this province, the best way to make change happen in this province is to get involved. That’s why I encourage your listeners to go out and get a membership. That’s why you go and get a membership of the Sask. Party. There’s a whole leadership review coming down this year at the next AGM here in 2025 and so it’s going to be a critical year for the members of the Saskatchewan Party, where they’re going to pick, and they’re going to direct which way they want to go.

Do you have existing relationships right now with people in government?

Hromek: Not necessarily at the elected realm.

There were a couple former Sask. Party members that ran for Sask. United.

Hromek: There are two. I guess that’s true, like Greg Brkich and Denis Allchurch. Some of the ex Sask. Party MLAs, yes, I do know quite well. But the current? No. I’m purely made this decision in order to say okay, if the people want me to be involved in politics in Saskatchewan and they want me to be focused, where do they want me to focus on? They want me to focus here. They want me to focus within the Sask. Party. Fine. I’m willing to put my name forward and focus in the Sask. Party and go forward.

Is there a position that you have your eye on? What I’m talking about there is leadership position.

Hromek: The mechanics are in place for this year already. There’s going to be a leadership review. I mean, that’s up to the members of the Saskatchewan Party to send that message there at the next AGM. But I mean, at the end of the day, it’s up to Premier Moe if he’s done, and if he wants to step down. If the opportunity arises, I would be very excited to put my name forward for that. I would be thrilled to to serve in that position here in Saskatchewan.

I know you’ve talked about the members at large in the province, and you met with many through the campaign, through the election. How do you think that would be received by sitting politicians that are members of the Sask. Party?

Hromek: It could be received fine. I mean, at the end of the day, if you’re running to be the leader, you need to bring your vision to the plate. If they can get on board with the vision that I would bring to the plate. Then why not? You know, at the end of the day, if you’re serving as an MLA your whole point to be there is to bring what’s best for the province and to come on board and be able to execute on that. If you’re in line with the vision, if you’re in line with where that’s going. Basically, returning the Sask. Party, back to its original roots. Because at the end of the day, we’re a team. That’s the whole point of caucus.

If there was a leadership competition that happened, or election that happened within the Sask. Party, you would consider running there?

Hromek: Absolutely, yes.

Is there room for more than the Sask. Party and the NDP on the political landscape in our province?

Hromek: That’s a very good question, and I’ve thought about that a lot myself. I think that question can only be answered by which way the Sask. Party goes. I firmly believe that if the Sask. Party goes back to its roots, back to just being a true centre-right party, from the people that I’ve talked to right across this province, they would view that as, why would we need another party? We have the Sask. Party has been a naturally governing party in Saskatchewan for quite some time. As long as they stay true to their word, I remember when Brad Wall used to say all the time, ‘a promise, a given, is a promise kept.’ We need to get back to that and do that and execute and deliver for the people. If you deliver for the people on what you say you’re going to do. I don’t necessarily see room for a third party.

In this last election, we saw the NDP make significant gains, particularly in the two large cities in the province. So some would argue that there’s an appetite for this province to be governed from the centre your vision, definitely centre right. How does that fit in with what you see for the future of this province?

Hromek: First off, Saskatchewan is the most conservative province federally per capita. So we see that overwhelmingly every federal election. I honestly believe that there is a place that if the Sask. Party returned back to its roots, where it’s centre, but it’s centre-right, and it’s a party of the people that appealed to both urban and rural, because remember, Brad Wall won a lot of seats in urban Saskatchewan, right? And we can return to that. Because what I see is good policy is good policy. And you know what? What we’re facing right now. We’ve got issues in healthcare. We’ve got issues in education, infrastructure spending, different things like that, like this. It doesn’t matter if you’re centre or centre-right, that appeals to people, and that’s what I’ve heard right across this province.

Let’s go back to the NDP. Because the NDP ended up with a strong showing in that last election, is that not counter intuitive to what you’re saying?

Hromek: What we have seen in talking to people, is a lot of people in the cities voted NDP because they were so dissatisfied with the direction that the Sask. Party is going. We even had some supporters of ours that ended up voting NDP, and I asked them after ‘why did you vote NDP?’ And they said ‘well, they it sent a bigger message. It sent a bigger message, and they had a better chance of forming power than a couple seats going to Sask. United. We can’t underestimate the appetite for change that Saskatchewan people have both rurally and urbanly. That’s why we need a leader to come in. We need leadership to come in and truly unify. It’s dangerous to get to a place where it’s urban versus rural. We need a unification. Yes, I’m centre-right, there’s no doubt about it. But I think that we can encompass with good policy.

I know you’re not with the Sask. United Party anymore. What’s the future of the Sask. United party?

Hromek: I don’t know that. I guess that’s up to the executive committee. I’ve stepped away completely and I really appreciated the opportunity to lead and be a part of a part of that organization, but that that’s going to be up to them to go forward with.