Donna Harpauer is a former Canadian politician. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1999 to 2024, representing the constituencies of Watrous, Humboldt and Humboldt-Watrous as a member of the Saskatchewan Party. Harpauer served in the Executive Council of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2024 in several different portfolios, including as Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2024 and concurrently as Deputy Premier from 2020 to 2024. Harpauer is the longest-served female cabinet minister in Canadian history.
Harpauer was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1999 election, defeating New Democratic Party incumbent Eric Upshall in the riding of Watrous. That riding was dissolved ahead of the 2003 election, and Harpauer was re-elected in the constituency of Humboldt. She was re-elected again in 2007, 2011, 2016, and 2020. Harpauer served in cabinet every term after the Saskatchewan Party first formed government in the 2007 election, making her one of the longest-serving cabinet ministers in Canada.[2][3] In January 2024, Harpauer became the longest serving female cabinet minister in Canadian history.[4]
Harpauer's time in cabinet includes two stints as the Minister of Social Services. While in that role in 2016, Harpauer oversaw cuts to social assistance affecting approximately 2,700 people, which Harpauer said were meant to crack down on 'stacking' or 'double-dipping' on welfare benefits.[5][6] When Harpauer suggested that the cutbacks were based on a recommendation from a poverty reduction working group, members of that group responded that this was false, and that they did not endorse the social assistance reforms.[7] The cuts were criticized for reducing already meager benefits.[5] Harpauer later cited the 2009 introduction of new disability benefits as a career highlight.[4]
In 2017, Harpauer was named Minister of Finance. Harpauer was in charge of the 2017 budget, which drew criticism for its austerity, including cuts to education funding, grants for municipalities, library funding—the lone cut that was eventually reversed—and the shuttering of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company.[8][9] The unpopularity of the 2017 budget contributed to Brad Wall's decision to retire in 2018.[9]
During the 2018 leadership election to replace Wall, Harpauer chaired Scott Moe's successful leadership campaign.[10] In 2020, Moe named Harpauer the first female deputy premier in the province in over three decades.[2]
The Saskatchewan Party ran its 2020 election campaign on a promise to balance the provincial budget by 2024. Months after the election, in the spring of 2021, Harpauer admitted that it would be "very, very difficult to meet that goal", and that "in all good likelihood, we'll have to change that goalpost."[11]
In February 2024, it was announced that Harpauer would not be seeking re-election in the 2024 provincial election.[12] Harpauer stated that after 25 years a new perspective would be welcome, and cited a desire to spend more time with family.[13] When Harpauer introduced her final budget in the spring of 2024, she described the economic challenge facing Saskatchewan as having "growth without the benefits of growth".[10]
Controversies
In 2017, it was reported that when serving as Minister of Social Services in 2008, Harpauer used private email for government-related matters. In one email she told a former campaign staffer, "I will hire you by contract if need be to get around the rules defined by the [Public Service Commission]." In another email to the same person, she stated, "The Public Service Commission is getting all crappy about us hiring people without open competition... Blah... Blah... Blah. Lots of fun. I really don't care what they think!!" The former staffer said Harpauer told him to use private email because "we wanted to be free from the freedom of information requests."[14]
In 2018, Harpauer was revealed to have twice had hotel stays for personal trips in Pinehouse—one in 2016 and another in 2018—paid for by the village. Harpauer did not disclose any gifts or benefits for the stays in her personal disclosure statements. Harpauer stated that she was unaware that the village had paid for the accommodations, and that she would repay the village.[15]
In 2022, Harpauer was criticized for an expense of nearly $8,000 for a return charter flight between Regina and North Battleford.[16] Harpauer defended the trip, which was made to speak at a local chamber of commerce luncheon, stating that she was "exhausted" at the time.[17]
In 2024, when Speaker Randy Weekes unveiled allegations of harassment and bullying within the Saskatchewan Party caucus, he read into the record a text message from Harpauer accusing him of lying and favouring the Opposition, part of what Weekes described as a campaign by the governing party to influence his decisions.[18]
