With the provincial election on the horizon next year, the MLA for Moose Jaw North, Warren Michelson, will be retiring from his position and allowing a new candidate to run for the position in his stead.

That new candidate is Tim McLeod, a lawyer of over 14 years and the newest addition to the Saskatchewan Party for Moose Jaw.

"Well, I'm not trying to change anything," said McLeod. "I'm trying to step into the shoes that Warren is leaving vacant when he retires, I think they're big shoes to fill, but I'm anxious to try."

McLeod explained how his law career as a lawyer will lead to a natural transition into a political career.

"I think politics is just a natural progression from what my current employment is, in representing people. As a lawyer, I represent one or sometimes two people at a time, and an MLA would represent an entire constituency, so I think it's just a natural progression."

Michelson said that he's happy to see someone with potential moving into the position.

"When you find somebody with the knowledge, and the ethics, and the common sense of Tim McLeod, it certainly makes it a lot easier to pass the torch and wish him good luck and work with him. I think Saskatchewan has so much going for it."

Michelson went on to say that even though he'll be retiring from his 12-year political career, he's optimistic about Saskatchewan's future.

"You know, we've got almost half of the agricultural land (in Canada), we've got oil, we've got the world's biggest and cleanest uranium (industry), we've got the world's largest deposits of potash, so the province has so much going for us, it's nice to see that we've got a government that's looking forward to building and growing, and I think Tim will be a valuable part of it as we move forward."