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In 2017-18, current Finance Minister Donna Harpauer was the most popular cabinet minister for lobbyists, as she was listed by them 70 times. Moe, who was named premier in January, came in second with 62 mentions from lobbyists. Reiter’s 61 mentions placed third, while Dustin Duncan rounded out the fourth and fifth positions in his capacity as environment minister (58 times) and SaskPower minister (42 times), respectively.

MLAs most lobbied

Lobbyists want to meet with the people making decisions — so it makes sense they spend much of their time lobbying cabinet members.

But they also will lobby MLAs — those without cabinet portfolios or by talking to ministers separate from their cabinet interests.

In 2016-17 fiscal, NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon was the most lobbied. He was mentioned by lobbyists in the registry 45 times. Sask. Party MLA (and current cabinet member) Ken Cheveldayoff was lobbied 43 times, now-retired Sask. Party MLA Bill Boyd and Wall lobbied 40 times, as was Gord Wyant — who has also served in a number of different cabinet portfolios in recent years.

Wyant was lobbied the most in his capacity as an MLA in 2017-18 — 47 times. Saskatoon-Southeast MLA Don Morgan was lobbied 45 times and Moe was lobbied 42 times. Wotherspoon and Cheveldayoff, like Wyant, ranked in the top five again in 2017-18. Wotherspoon was mentioned by lobbyists 42 times, while Cheveldayoff was mentioned 41 times.

Most common areas of interest

In each of the past full fiscal years, “economic development” was the most popular area of lobbying done in Saskatchewan. That was the listed interest of lobbying activities 75 times in 2017 and 78 times in 2018.

“Finance & Budget” was brought up 55 times in 2016-17, environment was brought up 53 times, health was brought up 50 times and energy 48.

In 2017-18, health (62 times), finance (60), energy (54) and environment (54) rounded out the top five.

dfraser@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/dcfraser