“I will not be seeking the leadership of the Saskatchewan Party.”

The news coming from Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan late Tuesday morning. Duncan, who is in New Brunswick for a conference of Energy and Resource ministers from across the country, acknowledged there were many who thought he would be the next leader of the party, particularly from within his own riding.

“That’s very flattering,” he said. “ I had many phone calls asking if I had an interest in it.”

Duncan said the next leader of the Saskatchewan Party will be someone who wakes up every morning, thinking about what needs to be done to become the next premier, and then thinking long term about the issues and the challenges and the opportunities. Himself, it is something he is not thinking about.

“I know we’re going to have a lot of good candidates to choose from, and party members are going to have an opportunity over the coming months to hear from those candidates,” Duncan said.

The new leader of the Saskatchewan Party will be named at a future leadership conference. The conference will be held as a result of Premier Brad Wall announcing last week he is stepping down as premier, and retiring from politics.