When Nancy Heppner rises to speak on a government motion on Friday, July 3, it will be her last speech in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.
The Sask Party MLA for the Martensville-Warman constituency will not be running again in the provincial election slated for October 26. She is stepping down after 13 years as an elected representative. (Terry Jenson is the Sask Party candidate for the riding in the coming election.)
“It will be a little bittersweet to speak in the assembly for the last time,” said Heppner in an interview on Wednesday, June 24. “It’s been an amazing experience.
“I will miss the people, but I’m very grateful to have been part of this government and to have served the people of my riding.”
Heppner said she’s proud to have followed in her father Ben Heppner’s footsteps as an MLA. She was elected to the provincial legislature in a by-election in 2007 following her father’s passing. She was subsequently re-elected in the 2007, 2011 and 2016 provincial elections.
“I’m very proud of my father’s legacy, and I’ve always done my best to follow his example,” she said. “My dad represented this constituency for 12 years, and I’ve done the same for 13 years, so between the two of us, that’s 25 years. I know we both put our constituencies first and I believe we made a positive difference.”
Heppner got her first taste of politics while door-knocking for her father in 1995. She began working as the constituency assistant for Carol Skelton, Member of Parliament (MP) for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar in 2001 and later moved to Ottawa to continue working for Skelton as her legislative assistant on Parliament Hill. She then went on to work for Stephen Harper, who at the time was Leader of the Official Opposition, until 2005.
In 2006, following the federal election that saw Harper elected to the Prime Minister’s Office, she continued to work in Harper’s office before moving over to become Director of Communications for the Minister of Canadian Heritage. She moved back to Saskatchewan and was subsequently elected to the provincial Legislature in 2007.
During her tenure as an MLA, Heppner served in a number of Cabinet positions, including Minister of Environment, Minister of Central Services, Minister of Highways, and Minister of Energy and Resources.
“One thing I’ve learned over 20 years in politics is that you have to listen to, and respect, other people’s perspectives,” said Heppner. “When I first got involved in politics in 2001 I was 29 years old and I approached it on a very ideological level. At that time, I viewed the world in pretty much black and white terms.
“But in fact, the world is not all black and white. It’s made up of lot of shades of grey. You can be proven wrong, and you have to be humble and accept that your position can be, and will be, changed as you gain wisdom and experience.
“I would say I’m much more tolerant now.”
She said another life lesson she’s learned during her years in politics is humility.
“Back in 2006, when the Conservatives formed government in Ottawa, I remember talking to an MP who had been named to the Cabinet,” said Heppner. “I was very excited and I asked him, ‘How does it feel to have your name on the door of that office?’
“He replied calmly, ‘Sure, my name is on the door today, but there will be a day very soon when it’s not there; when it’s replaced with somebody else’s name. And nobody will remember me, but that’s okay, because they’ll remember the good work that got done.’
“And I’ve always thought that was good advice.”
Heppner said she’s always focused on what was good for the province as a whole and her riding in particular.
“I think my track record speaks for itself,” she said. “I’ve managed to get a disproportionate amount of infrastructure built here, including schools, highways, overpasses. Mind you, all that infrastructure was badly needed because this riding has grown so fast.”
Heppner said she has no immediate plans for the future after the election.
“Something will come along, and in the meantime I’m happy to spend time with my husband and my girls,” she said. “But until the election, I’m going to continue working as hard as ever for my constituents.”