OUTLOOK - Entering the political arena and serving the people of the province in any kind of public role undoubtedly has to take its toll on those who choose such a path in life.
There are increasing demands of both your time and your effort, whether it's appearances in this town or that village to make important announcements or it's meetings in this or that community to speak about the issues that are important to local residents, and through it all, the one thing that the public doesn't see is the absence that is felt from your own loved ones at home.
Local MLA Dana Skoropad, who serves as the representative of Arm River which includes Outlook and the surrounding Lake Diefenbaker area, and who also previously served as Saskatchewan's Minister of Environment, may in fact have come to such a realization. On August 25, Skoropad's Facebook page shared the announcement that he will not be seeking re-election in the next provincial election in October 2024, with Dana instead choosing to exit politics and focus more on his family, which includes his wife Terrill and two sons, Noah and Sol.
In an interview with The Outlook, Skoropad said that there wasn't any particular moment that inspired his decision, rather that it was simply the demands of the job that built up over time and spurred him to look at his growing family and make a decision.
"No, there was nothing specific, other than just given the demands of the job," said Dana, on the phone with this reporter. "The job that I feel compelled to do and how to do it, obviously the demands are significant and the sacrifices are significant. Quite honestly, the decision was made to spend more time with my family. Certainly, I'll continue to be a strong advocate for where our government is going and the direction that we've charted for the province, and I'll still be very involved moving forward. As far as the question over whether this was always the plan, to serve one term, I would say no. When you enter politics or any kind of public service, whether it's as the mayor of Outlook or an RM reeve or the like, and certainly myself, I went into it with the intention of serving as best as I could for as long as I was able to do the job that I wanted to do."
It was the late 1990's when the Saskatchewan Party was first formed, and Skoropad said he was inspired to become involved and come back home from being over the neighboring border to witness the change that was happening in this province.
"Years ago, just when the Sask Party had first formed, I'd gone to Alberta and was in school out there," he said. "I saw there was all kinds of opportunity, and there were a number of my friends and classmates alike who were exiting the province, and I made the conscious decision to come back home. At that time, the Sask Party was just forming, and I saw that as an opportunity to be involved in change, and I'd always wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make this a province where my children didn't have to go somewhere else for lack of opportunity, and I feel strongly that this is is the best place to live on the entire planet, and I just wanted to be a part of helping to make it so."
Having served since 2020 when he was elected to represent the people of the Arm River riding, it wasn't difficult to spot Dana at a laundry list of events over the last few years. Skoropad says that he knew serving in the role would take him away from his family, but that he also went into politics for his family in the first place.
"I went into politics for family reasons," he said. "I went into this job for the love of my family and wanting to make a difference, and carve out a life for them at home and make it a better place for them to call home. There have been incredible sacrifices, and obviously this is an incredibly hard decision, but it's a decision that is right because there wasn't a day where I didn't miss my family. But those are the sacrifices that we go through when we offer ourselves for public service."
Skoropad, who is also a member of the Cabinet Committee on the Economy, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Board, and the Treasury Board, says that he's not 100% certain that anyone who chooses to serve people ever gets used to the political arena. He says that all he knows how to be is himself, and to give people his best effort.
"I don't know if anyone ever gets used to the political arena," he said. "Here's how I tried to do the job as an MLA, here's how I'll continue to do the job as an MLA, and here's how I did the job as a Minister - I just tried to be myself. I tried to go to work every single day and just offer everything that I have. I have one switch, and it is 'On' or 'Off', and I believe in giving all of myself to something or backing away and saying, 'You know what? Maybe someone else should have an opportunity to do that'. I just put my head down and worked as hard as I could, and was as honest as I could be with people. I'm not 100% sure what kind of person it takes to carry out this role, just because there are people with so many diverse backgrounds who bring such unique skillsets to the arena. I'm not sure if there is any one thing, but I certainly know what I tried to bring to it, and that was my whole heart and dedication from myself."
In politics, Skoropad says that everyone always looks beyond the immediate horizon and tries to map out what the next five or ten years may look like. For him though, that timeline is much shorter as the fall of 2024 approaches. That said, he says that he'll continue to serve with just as much enthusiasm and perseverance as people have expected from him since he was first elected three years ago.
"We're always looking at the next four years, and for me, what I'm looking at is the next election in October 2024," he said. "I'll be serving as MLA and continuing to serve with as much zeal and passion as I did from Day One, and I'll serve that way right until the end. I think that's important. That decision to step back is what we're talking about right now, and from there, I guess what we'll do is see where my life takes me. I love what I do, and I truly love serving as an MLA, and I so strongly believe in what we're doing in the province."
Skoropad says that serving in the role that he does has given him a unique and wider perspective on both the province and the people who call Saskatchewan home. He entered politics with the desire that he never wanted the occupation to change him, hoping to operate with as much integrity and honesty as he had before he ever put his name on a ballot. Carrying out the role that he's had for the last few years has only increased his appreciation for the province and what it represents for many people.
"That's a great question," said Dana, asked if serving in the public has changed the way he looks at the province and its people. "When I went into politics, I always wanted to maintain the level of integrity that I went into it with, and I wanted to exit with that, and I feel that I've been able to do that. Every day, I get up and try to do my absolute best and serve with integrity. As far as how it's changed how I look at the province and the people, you know, I went into this being passionate about Saskatchewan, and it's gone up exponentially. I'll tell you, I've been so blessed over the course of these past three years that I've served as MLA and my time spent served as a Minister, I've been blessed to meet so many people and to work with so many different businesses that are coming in and looking at driving a stake in the ground here in Saskatchewan. It's just been awe-inspiring. My view of the province has gone through the roof, and I love it even more."
With as many visits to the many communities dotting the prairie landscape that he's made - and will continue to make over the next year and change - Skoropad says it'll be the interactions and exchanges with the people of the province that he'll miss the most. He's grateful that publications such as this newspaper have covered the many community events that continue to take place, and grateful that so many people in these communities have welcomed him and spoken with him about the issues that are important to them. Dana hopes that those connections with people can be kept even after he exits his role.
"What I'll miss most about serving in this role will be the daily interactions with folks in the constituencies," he said. "I've had such a blessed experience with the people in this constituency. There are 50+ communities and 22 RM's in this area, and I will tell you, people open their doors to me in every one of those communities. That will be the thing that I'll miss the most, those engagements. I certainly hope that those friendships and relationships that I've created can be maintained, and that's something that I will very much miss."
As far as what the future looks like for him beyond the fall of 2024, Skoropad says he's not looking beyond those borders right now, operating with a 'business as usual' mindset and choosing to focus on what's important and what's in front of him right now as he continues to serve the people of Arm River as their MLA. Upon his exit, he'll also explore alternate ways that he can continue to support the provincial government as he believes in the work that the Saskatchewan Party has done and carries out. Outside of the parameters of his career, he's looking at his growing family and excited to be with them a lot more, as time manages to shoot by in an instant and one is left wondering where exactly did the days, weeks, months and years go.
"There are two separate things," said Dana. "As far as my career goes, I'm not looking beyond the end of this term. I'm not lining something up where I'm sitting and waiting for that next thing. I'm looking at doing this job with as much passion as possible. I'm looking at representing the people who gave me the honour to represent them, and that's where my focus is, and it'll continue to be there right until the very last minute of the very last day. As far as my family goes, they MIGHT see a little more of me, and that's either a good or bad thing! (laughs) It'll just give me an opportunity to spend more time with them. It's funny, I look at photos and literature through the last few years and both my youngest and oldest are standing quite below me, height-wise, and now my youngest towers over me and my oldest can probably beat me in an arm wrestling match now! They've grown up in this too, and I'm looking forward to being as good of a dad as I can be, and as good of a husband as I possibly can be."
