REGINA – The race to replace Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall got its first entrant Tuesday when Social Services Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor said she couldn’t just watch from the sidelines.

Beaudry-Mellor said in a statement that she is entering the race to lead the Saskatchewan Party and, ultimately, become premier after Wall’s retirement.

“I have also worked very hard to encourage women to get involved in politics and have tried to contribute to the conversation about redefining leadership, so that it becomes less about gender and more about having a vision and bringing people together to realize that vision,” said Beaudry-Mellor.

“Presented with the opportunity to participate in the upcoming leadership race, I cannot watch from the sidelines. I am leaning in. All the way in.”

Wall announced last week that he’s stepping away from politics after 10 years as premier. He said his province and the party will benefit from a fresh perspective.

Beaudry-Mellor, who was first elected in April 2016, predicted people will say that she has not been in office long enough.

“They will be correct,” she said. “But if this is really about renewal, then I see this as an advantage, not a disadvantage.”

Beaudry-Mellor is the first woman to run for the leadership of the Saskatchewan Party in its 20-year history.

Shortly after her statement was released, Wall’s office outlined rules for any cabinet ministers who enter the leadership race. In an email, his office said Wall has advised all ministers that they will be required to leave cabinet if they decide to run to lead the Saskatchewan Party.

“Outgoing ministers will be required to vacate their offices on the day they announce and they will be assigned to a regular MLA office as soon as possible,” it said.

Wall wants to ensure no candidate has any advantage by virtue of being in cabinet, the email added.

He also said running a leadership campaign may not allow a minister sufficient time to perform ministerial duties, and being outside cabinet allows candidates to openly express their views on all issues.

It’s expected several cabinet ministers could join Beaudry-Mellor in the race, although no one else has officially announced.

Federal member of Parliament Brad Trost has also said he’s considering whether to enter the leadership contest.

“If the party wants to have an outsider, reset something, not someone from this caucus, I fit the bill,” Trost said in a phone interview from Saskatoon.

“If they want to reach out to a lot of the new Canadians, the immigrants who have been streaming into Saskatoon and Regina over the last several years, both because of family and political history, I have probably the best connections of anyone in the province.

“There is a case to be made for me to do it. I just don’t know if I’m going to do it.”

Trost was first elected as an MP in June 2004 and recently ran to become leader of the federal Conservatives. He lost to Regina MP Andrew Scheer.