 He held the seat for 4 terms for the Progressive Conservatives and did not seek re-election in the 2008 election.After winning his 3rd term in office in the 2001 election, Doerksen was appointed as the Minister of Innovation and Science and sworn into the portfolio in 2001.Doerksen quit his post as the Minister of Innovation and Science on August 15, 2006 and announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives on August 17.