30 Facts About Rob Norris

Rob Norris is a former Canadian politician and retired government relations officer.

Rob Norris was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2016 as a member of the Saskatchewan Party, and formerly a member of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party.

Rob Norris received a master's degree in political science from the University of Alberta in 2004.

Rob Norris then returned to Saskatoon and worked as the coordinator of Global Relations at the University of Saskatchewan.

Rob Norris first entered provincial politics as a member of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, and he ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in the 2003 provincial election.

Rob Norris was then recruited by Brad Wall to join and run for the Saskatchewan Party, which had formed in 1997 as a coalition between former Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members.

Rob Norris was elected as MLA for Saskatoon-Greystone in the 2007 provincial election by a narrow margin of 300 votes.

Rob Norris was appointed as the Minister responsible for Advanced Education, Labour, and Immigration in the first Saskatchewan Party government.

In 2007, Rob Norris led the implementation of revised labour legislation in Saskatchewan introducing Bill 5, the Public Services Essential Services Act, and Bill 6, the Trade Union Amendment Act.

In 2010 Rob Norris cut provincial funding to the First Nations University of Canada amid controversies over financial mismanagement at the institution.

In June 2010, Rob Norris's responsibilities were reduced in a cabinet shuffle, with the Labour portfolio passing to the Minister of Justice, Don Morgan.

Rob Norris was re-elected as MLA for Saskatoon-Greystone in the 2011 provincial election, warding off a challenge from Peter Prebble, who had represented the constituency from 1999 to 2007.

Rob Norris retained his responsibility for Immigration and in early 2012 led efforts to restructure the province's Immigration Nominee Program.

Rob Norris was dropped from the cabinet in a shuffle six months after the 2011 election, in May 2012.

Rob Norris was named Legislative Secretary for First Nations and Metis Engagement and for International Trade and Education before returning to cabinet in September 2013, taking over his former post as Minister of Advanced Education amidst a funding crisis at the University of Saskatchewan.

In 2014 Rob Norris announced that he would not be running in the 2016 provincial election, and he was dropped from the cabinet.

At the time of his departure Rob Norris had been considered one of the last remaining "liberal" presences in the Saskatchewan Party government at a time when the federal Liberal Party had just returned to power.

In 2016 Rob Norris was rumoured to be considering a run for mayor of Saskatoon.

Rob Norris claimed that unnamed organizations were working to recruit him into the race, but he ultimately decided not to run, citing his commitments to the University of Saskatchewan.

Rob Norris framed his campaign around his experience as a provincial cabinet minister and on the planks of crime, safety and economic growth.

Rob Norris called for increased funding for the Saskatoon Police Service.

Rob Norris was criticized by Clark throughout the campaign for spreading misinformation, and media commentators noted that Rob Norris often failed to provide evidence for his claims about those projects.

Clark charged that Rob Norris had organized a slate of candidates for the election, citing his presence at campaign launches and efforts at door-knocking with candidates who were running on similar campaign commitments, but Rob Norris denied the charge.

On May 26,2022, Rob Norris endorsed former Quebec Premier and Conservative Leadership Candidate Jean Charest for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.

In 2015, Rob Norris was named as a defendant in a lawsuit alongside Brad Wall, the University of Saskatchewan, and its Board of Governors for the controversial firing of the university's president, Ilene Busch-Vishniac.

Wall and Rob Norris are accused of unlawfully inserting themselves into the Board's decision to fire Busch-Vishniac.

In 2023, Rob Norris retweeted a transphobic post from Cary Tarasoff, that protested the City of Saskatoon policy that permitted athletic facility users to use the change room consistent with their gender identity.

Rob Norris is retired from the University of Saskatchewan.

Rob Norris has served as board chair for Canada World Youth.

Rob Norris has been an election observer in Tunisia and Lebanon and worked on governance projects in Eastern Europe and Africa.