The Saskatchewan NDP is criticizing the Saskatchewan Party government for hiring the party’s former executive director for a “cushy” job with the province.
According to an order in council signed Jan. 23, Patrick Bundrock has been appointed to a new role with executive council effective March 1. He’ll receive a salary of $16,463 per month, or nearly $198,000 a year.
Executive council provides support to the premier, cabinet and cabinet committees, and “develops and advances the government’s plan for Saskatchewan and manages how that is implemented across government,” according to the province’s website.
Bundrock, who was the Saskatchewan Party’s longtime executive director until he resigned from that position in August, will be a clerk of the executive council and assistant cabinet secretary.
After leaving his role as executive director, Bundrock was hired by the province’s cabinet planning office as a senior policy adviser, according to a review of the government directory.
At a news conference Tuesday, NDP House leader Nicole Sarauer said the hiring raises questions about Premier Scott Moe’s priorities.
She said Moe should be focused on making Saskatchewan a more affordable place to live, instead of giving high-paying jobs to Saskatchewan Party insiders.
“[Moe] could have set 2026 on the right track, by removing PST from groceries and kids clothing. He could have put a stop to hikes, power rates and car insurance,” Sarauer said.
“Instead, it was to hand over a cushy, nearly $200,000 a year job to his own campaign director.”
Saurauer said the Opposition wants “to see a government do well” and “to see the best people in the role.
“[But] what we’ve seen in this government is time and time again, decisions that help and support insiders and friends, and not the people of Saskatchewan,” she said.
The Saskatchewan Party government did not respond directly to questions about Bundrock’s appointment.
But in a written statement Tuesday, the province said Moe’s priority has been successfully reducing Chinese tariffs on canola.
It also questioned the role of Opposition Leader Carla Beck during the tariff negotiations.
Referring to the NDP leader as “the self-appointed agriculture critic,” the government said Beck “has been missing since the tariff announcement.”
Bundrock’s hiring comes after former Regina mayor Sandra Masters was also hired through an order in council, signed in November 2025.
After losing her bid for re-election in the 2024 civic election, Masters was hired as deputy chief of staff for communications in the executive council and premier’s office.
And former Saskatchewan Party MLA and social services minister Gene Makowsky, who lost his seat in the October 2024 provincial election, was hired as chief of staff in the government caucus office in August 2025.
