Hromek steps down as Saskatchewan United Party leader

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After barely eight months as leader of the right-wing Saskatchewan United Party, Jon Hromek is stepping away from the party entirely.

Hromek and the party on Tuesday jointly announced his resignation as leader and the decision to leave the SUP altogether, saying it “was not made lightly.”

“While I may be stepping down as your leader, I want to emphasize that the future of this province is in the hands of the people,” Hromek said in a statement.

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“I am hopeful because I believe in the power of the Saskatchewan spirit. I believe in our ability to innovate, to collaborate, and to rise to any challenge.”

The Saskatchewan United Party was founded in November 2022, largely in an attempt to build a provincial party with leanings and ideologies further to the right than the Saskatchewan Party.

Hromek, in the Lumsden-Morse byelection in August 2023, became the first candidate to run for the party, finishing second to the Saskatchewan Party’s Blaine McLeod. Last May after party founder Nadine Wilson stepped down as leader, Hromek was appointed as her replacement.

None of the Sask. United Party candidates came close to winning a riding during the recent provincial election, but Hromek on election night took credit for the Saskatchewan Party’s decision to introduce policy such as Bill 137 — the parents’ bill of rights — and also float a plan during the campaign to ban “biological boys” from the change rooms of “biological girls.”

“On behalf of everyone at Sask. United, I would like to thank Jon for all of his efforts in building Sask. United and his commitment to the people of Saskatchewan,” party president Dwight Bunyan said in a statement.

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“His leadership and vision will have a lasting impact on this party and the province.”

Hromek on Tuesday said he has heard from supporters who believe in the importance of natural resources in the province, taking “a serious look” at cutting the provincial sales tax and gas tax to “alleviate the burden on the citizens,” and prioritizing “Saskatchewan-first policies, while also fostering regional partnerships with our western allies.”

Amidst the national and global political scene, with Donald Trump returning as United States president and uncertainty over the future of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals, Hromek stressed the importance of “strong leadership” in Saskatchewan.

“The decisions made in the coming years will shape not only our province but our place in the nation,” he added.

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