Greg Ottenbreit

Greg Ottenbreit (born November 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who represented the electoral district of Yorkton in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2024. He is a member of the Saskatchewan Party. He was a cabinet minister under premiers Brad Wall and Scott Moe between 2014 and 2020.

Political career Ottenbreit was first elected MLA for Yorkton in the 2007 election, when the Saskatchewan Party won government under the leadership of Brad Wall. Before Ottenbreit's win, the Yorkton seat had been held by the New Democratic Party since 1991. Ottenbreit was re-elected in Yorkton three times in 2011, 2016, and 2020.

Ottenbreit was first named to Wall's cabinet in 2014 when he became the Minister of Rural and Remote Health. Prior to the appointment, he had served as government whip. Ottenbreit remained in the role when Scott Moe succeeded Wall as Premier in 2018. By 2019, Ottenbreit was questioned by the Opposition as to whether his anti-abortion views were preventing the government from approving universal coverage for medical abortion drugs, with most provinces having adopted coverage. After the 2020 election, Ottenbreit was dropped from cabinet.

On May 29, 2023, Ottenbreit announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2024 election, but would remain in office for the remainder of his term. In October 2024, he was succeeded as Yorkton MLA by David Chan.

Controversies In 2011, Ottenbreit argued against resource revenue-sharing with First Nations in the province, suggesting that First Nations people who get "handouts" spend the money on drugs and alcohol; Ottenbreit apologized for the comments. The comments drew calls for Ottenbreit's resignation from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

In a 2019 speech, Ottenbreit urged an anti-abortion group to continue their "battle" and stated that he would "continue to do what I can in my professional capacity" to help; at the time, Ottenbreit was the minister in charge of rural and remote health. Premier Scott Moe stated that the comments crossed a "small line" and said that government ministers "will choose our words more carefully." Ottenbreit had previously attended anti-abortion March for Life rallies in Ottawa and Regina.

During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan in March 2020, Ottenbreit was criticized for sharing a social media post suggesting that people 'pray and repent' to stop the pandemic. Ottenbreit added a comment saying, "I guess it worked a few thousand years ago ... couldn't hurt." He later deleted the post.

In October 2020, Ottenbreit shared a Thanksgiving message from Texas Pastor Ed Newton, an American preacher who has shared anti-LGBT views and whose church labels homosexuality as an addiction.

Personal life Before being elected to the Legislature, Ottenbreit owned and operated Ottenbreit Waste Systems along with his brother.

On January 27, 2017, it was revealed that Ottenbreit had been diagnosed with cancer. Ottenbreit had in 2000 lost a son to cancer; after their son's death, Ottenbreit and his family hosted an ongoing childhood cancer research fundraiser in Yorkton.

Cabinet positions