John Rissler "Jack" Messer (born May 26, 1941) is a farmer and former political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. He represented Kelsey from 1967 to 1971, Tisdale-Kelsey from 1971 to 1975 and Kelsey-Tisdale from 1975 to 1980 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

as a New Democratic Party (NDP) member. He was born in

Tisdale, Saskatchewan Tisdale is the business centre for the rich agricultural boreal forest area in central Saskatchewan, Canada. This town is in the Rural Municipality of Tisdale No. 427, Saskatchewan. Located at the junction of Highway 35 and Highway 3, and servi ...

, the son of William Frederick Messer and Margaret Elizabeth Rissler, and was educated there and in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

. Messer worked in Vancouver before continuing his studies at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

and the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He then returned to Tisdale and settled on a farm near the town. In 1960, he married Joanne Bryson, the daughter of Hugh Alexander Bryson. He was secretary of the Tisdale Wheat Pool Committee and a director for the Evington Rural Telephone Company. Messer served in the Saskatchewan cabinet as Minister of

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

, as Minister of Industry and Commerce and as Minister of Mineral Resources. He resigned from cabinet and the assembly in 1980. In 1990, Messer became provincial secretary for the Saskatchewan NDP. From 1991 to 1998, he was president of

SaskPower Saskatchewan Power Corporation, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the provincial government, it serves more than 538,000 customers and manages over $11.8 billion in assets. Sa ...

. He then returned to farming. Messer has also served as a director for

Ducks Unlimited Canada Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a Canadian non-profit organization that works to conserve, restore and manage Canadian wetlands in order to preserve habitat for North American waterfowl, wildlife and people. They work with industry leaders, gover ...

and was the organizations' president from 2003 to 2004. He lives in Tisdale, as of 2022.

References

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs 1941 births Living people Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub