‘JUST BRAD’

Wall’s longtime friend and adviser Reg Downs told a story at the Saskatchewan Party convention in Nov. 2017. He said when Wall met members of the public who addressed him by his title, he would say, “Call me Brad. It’s just Brad.” And for many people, that was, and is, Wall’s appeal. He was the minor football coach, a card-carrying member of Rider Nation and a Simpsons fan. He likes classic cars and country music. He is a father to Megan, Faith and Colter. He married his college sweetheart, Tami, and they raised their family in Swift Current. Nancy Heppner (Saskatchewan Party MLA addressing Wall on his final day in the assembly) “I see you cringe when people call you Premier Wall because you just want to be Brad. That is the most important thing that you have surrounded yourself by is the humility — and people see it, they know that. That’s why they want to be your friend; that’s why they want to go for coffee with you. “I had asked to be out of cabinet a few years ago so I could spend more time with my girls, and that request was met with such amazing grace from you and a genuine care and understanding of what we were going through and that my girls needed me at home — and there was never any judgement. This job always comes second. As important as it is, it is not the most important thing.” Downs “Almost every Sunday morning, he takes a couple of verses out of the Bible and he writes a devotion. And then he emails it around to his family and a few of his friends. It’s always very thoughtful and heartfelt and wise. Just some of his thoughts and some lesson he has taken from the word of God and how it applies to his life or his job, or just the world in general. “I’ve seen him get angry. But I’ve never seen him stay angry. He is just not someone that holds grudges or harbours any resentment or ill will towards anyone, less so than pretty well anyone I’ve ever met. “But politics has never been the most important thing to Brad. The most important thing to Brad is his family — his kids, and even before that, his relationship with Tami.”

Wall is surrounded by his family on stage in Swift Current, as he gives his victory speech after winning the Saskatchewan election on Nov. 7, 2007. Image: Troy Fleece/The Canadian Press

McMorris “He made that trip...each and every day back and forth to Swift Current, because spending time at home with the kids as they were growing were paramount. It’s just an amazing effort to get home.” Murray Mandryk (Regina Leader-Post columnist) “I think it was 2011-12 when they produced their economic statement. He spoke directly about one particular individual, a First Nations guy he went to school with in Swift Current, that he was quite moved by. The guy had recently passed on, too, and it was this guy who...incited Brad Wall’s interest in First Nations skill training and programs and the guy helped with development. I thought it would be a good idea to do a column about this guy and the influence he had on Brad Wall’s life. I did an interview with (Wall) and I said, ‘How does a kid from Swift Current, where there aren’t very many First Nations kids around, get to know this guy?’ And he told me the whole story about [how] the guy been adopted out as a Sixties Scoop kid and how he got to know him. “It turns out Brad Wall was wrong and it turns out I was an idiot for not double checking. Obviously, the parents were very upset over what I had written in the paper, so I sent them a personal letter of apology and corrected it in the newspaper. But the amazing thing is so did Brad Wall, and he took ownership of it, saying, ‘It wasn’t the reporter’s fault. I had given this information. It really was my fault.’ But doesn’t that say a hell of a lot about the guy? I didn’t ask him to. He just felt really bad about it. It was a misconception he was under. I was quite moved and touched that he would have gone to all that trouble. It just speaks volumes to the guy.” Dustin Duncan (Saskatchewan Party MLA addressing Wall on his final day in the assembly) “People ask what it’s like to work for Brad Wall...he’s got vision, he’s got passion and compassion, he’s smart — smrt, I mean smart, for those that are Simpsons fans. He’s just been so supportive. “This past summer, I was at a family reunion in Medicine Hat and I introduced myself to a great aunt who I haven’t seen in years. She knew that I was in politics back here in Saskatchewan and her first question to me, with a big smile on her face, was ‘Do you know Brad?’ ”

In this 2013 video message, Wall picks at the rivals of his beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Video: Premier Brad Wall

Don Morgan (Sask. Party MLA) “To all of us he’s been not just a colleague, but also a friend. He knows who has health issues, who is dealing with aging parents, who is dealing with children. He cares, and it shows. The incredible kindness and amazing statements following the deaths of MLAs Parent and Phillips demonstrates his humanity and how much he cares. His humour and kindness are special.”

Brad and Tami Wall share a laugh after voting in the provincial election in Swift Current on April 4, 2016. Image: Michael Bell/The Canadian Press