Moe chooses former Saskatchewan Party candidate as province's top civil servant

Saskatchewan has a new top civil servant. 

Raynelle Wilson will be the new deputy minister to the premier and cabinet secretary, Premier Scott Moe announced Friday.

Wilson, who previously ran as a candidate for the Saskatchewan Party in 2007, has held several government postings since. 

Most recently she was named vice president of the the Saskatchewan Health Authority, an appointment criticized by health policy experts who said she lacked experience in the health-care field.

Health Minister Paul Merriman defended the move, saying her years as a civil servant had qualified her for the job. 

Wilson is currently a special advisor to the deputy minister of health, according to a government news release. It's not clear whether her stint with the SHA has been completed.

Willson takes over the deputy minister role from Cam Swan, who had held the position since 2018. 

Moe's office announced a series of other appointments on Friday: 

• Max Hendricks, deputy minister of finance, moving over from his previous job as deputy minister of health.
• Tracey Smith, deputy minister of health, moving from her previous job as deputy minister of social services.
• Kimberly Kratzig, deputy minister of social services, moving from her previous job as the deputy minister of advanced education.
• Kathryn Pollack, chair of the Public Service Commission. 
• Laurier Donais, acting deputy minister of government relations and deputy minister of First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs.
• Linda Zarzeczny, deputy minister of justice and attorney general. 
• Denise Macza, deputy minister of advanced education.
• Ashley Metz,  deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs.