Saskatchewan

Scott Moe releases list of 10 changes Ottawa 'must make' to reset relationship with Sask.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has published a letter he sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney outlining 10 policy changes he says the federal government "must make" in order to reset the relationship between Ottawa and the province.

Premier says quick action from federal government on list would signal a 'new, more positive relationship'

A man in a dark suit sits at a wooden desk. A microphone is in front of him. Behind the man are the flags of Canada and Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has released a list of 10 things he believes the federal government needs to address under Prime Minister Mark Carney. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

Premier Scott Moe has published a letter he sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney outlining 10 policy changes the federal government "must make" in order to reset the relationship between Ottawa and Saskatchewan.

Moe wrote in a Wednesday post on social media that Carney has the ability to quickly move to address the 10 items. 

"[That] would clearly signal a new, more positive relationship between Saskatchewan and the federal government than we have had for the past 10 years," Moe wrote, referencing the strained relationship his provincial government had with prime minister Justin Trudeau. 

Moe's demands include: 

  • The immediate launch of negotiations with China in order to remove tariffs on agricultural food products, a reference to the 100 per cent tariff China has placed on Canadian canola oil and peas
  • The end to a number of federal policies meant to lower carbon emissions, such as the industrial carbon tax and clean electricity regulations.
  • Changes to the Criminal Code to address bail reform and the introduction of harsher penalties to combat "new street drugs."
  • Expansion of pipeline capacity across Canada and the opening of rail and port capacity. 
  • Reduction of federal "red tape" in order to streamline federal approval of infrastructure projects and reduce "infringement" into provincial jurisdiction

Many of the topics were raised by Moe during a press conference after last month's federal election.

WATCH | Moe says at April 29 news conference he sees 'path forward' with Carney:

'He still cheers for the Oilers': Scott Moe sees 'path forward' with Carney

16 days ago
Duration 1:57
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe congratulated and extended an invitation to Prime Minister Mark Carney to visit the province as soon as possible. A day after the federal election, Moe expressed optimism that Parliament can work with Saskatchewan, and other provinces, to form a united front.

Moe's letter was explicit in his insistence the federal government not impose the federal backstop on the industrial carbon tax.

Moe's government eliminated the provincial output-based performance standards program, which taxed large industrial emitters, at the start of this month.

The letter alludes to a conversation Moe and Carney had on May 1, during which the premier says he raised the 10 policy changes.

Moe is the latest premier to release a wish list of projects and policies he wants to see addressed by the federal government under Carney, whose Liberals won a minority government in the April 28 federal election.

Unlike his counterparts, Moe's letter does not identify a singular project he wants assistance on. For example, Ontario Premier Doug Ford highlighted a need for federal support on a tunnel under Highway 401. 

Moe is scheduled to hold a news conference on Thursday morning to mark the end of the spring legislative session, and it's expected he'll have more to add on his list of demands at that time. 

AgriStability meeting moving ahead

On Wednesday, the province's Official Opposition urged Moe's Saskatchewan Party government to help farmers facing China's tariffs on canola.

The NDP says the province needs to sign on to the federal AgriStability program, which is meant to protect producers against dramatic increases in costs and changing market conditions.

Daryl Harrison, Saskatchewan's minister of agriculture, said those efforts are already underway.

"The federal government's proposed changes to the program haven't been implemented. Once a federal ag minister has been appointed, negotiations will continue around program enhancements," Harrison said during question period. 

Harrison added that he has a meeting scheduled for Thursday morning with Heath MacDonald, who was named as the new federal agriculture minister on Tuesday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexander Quon has been a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan since 2021 and is happy to be back working in his hometown of Regina after half a decade in Atlantic Canada. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in municipal political coverage and data-reporting. He can be reached at: alexander.quon@cbc.ca.