OTTAWA—Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he does not support the idea of Ottawa increasing reciprocal tariffs on the United States because it would negatively impact the export market in his province.
“We have been very apprehensive, even with respect to very targeted tariffs that are in place today,” Moe said during a fireside chat at the Strong and Free Conference in Ottawa on April 11.
“We would not be supportive of expanding that to dollar-for-dollar tariffs or anything of that nature, because of the impact that would have on our own industry, our own families that we represent in Saskatchewan.”
Moe said he has travelled to Washington, D.C., on several occasions to make the case that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada will “have the largest detrimental impact to American families and American businesses.”
“If we can agree on that, then by that very same argument and extension, any counter-tariffs put on by the Canadian government would have the largest negative impact on Canadian families and Canadian businesses,” he said.
The United States has imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canada is also impacted by Washington’s tariffs on steel, aluminum, and vehicle imports from all countries. Ottawa has imposed counter-tariffs on around $60 billion worth of U.S. imports, as well as matching auto tariffs in response.
Moe also noted that his province is significantly impacted by China’s tariffs on canola products. The tariffs were in response to Ottawa’s earlier tariffs on Chinese EVs and steel and aluminum, in lockstep with the United States.
“Navigating through tariff challenges is not new to the province of Saskatchewan, but this is much more significant, much more broad, and we need to work together,” Moe said.
Moe complimented Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for her diplomacy with U.S. officials and influencers, calling her a “tremendous force in opening the doors to discussions that maybe Canadians aren’t comfortable with today.”
Ottawa’s Approach to Trade Relationships, Environment
Moe also called for Ottawa to build its relationships with other countries to facilitate broader trade, saying he has taken issue with how “our federal government has engaged internationally over the last eight or nine years.”The premier condemned the federal government’s carbon tax, which he said has been “harmful to how we create wealth.” Liberal Leader Mark Carney reduced the consumer portion of the tax to zero on his first day in office as prime minister in mid-March.
Moe also criticized Ottawa’s Impact Assessment Act, which requires certain environmental reviews by the federal government. Alberta and Saskatchewan have been opposed to the legislation, saying it hinders resource development projects such as pipelines.
“We do need an environmental focus, but you also need to be able to bring a project through to production because of how we do things from an ethical and sustainable and environmental perspective,” said Moe, who was previously Saskatchewan’s environment minister.
Carney has said he will keep the Impact Assessment Act, but that he will remove redundancies in environmental assessments. As well, he has said he would develop energy corridors to streamline major projects such as pipelines.
“The commitment is to deliver those projects—projects that we agree that are national priorities,” Carney said on March 20.
Moe also said that with the upcoming federal election on April 28 being primarily focused on the “chaotic conversation” with the United States about tariffs, Canadians should pay attention to the platforms that the Conservatives and Liberals plan to implement and “what policies have worked over the last decade or so.”
Moe was also asked to share his perspective on Carney being an Edmonton Oilers fan. “If we have a good two-and-a-half, three weeks on the election campaign, Mr. Carney will have a lot of time to attend as many Oilers playoff games as he wants,” he said.
