REGINA — Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is launching a campaign to pass her proposed legislation, the Keep Saskatchewan in Canada Act, amid rising separatist rhetoric and international tensions.
The campaign rollout comes a day before Canada Day and includes an online petition at KeepSaskatchewanInCanada.ca. Beck and members of the Saskatchewan NDP plan to go door-to-door over the summer to gather support, urging the Saskatchewan Party government to pass the bill.
“Talk of separatism will kill jobs, kill investment and take us backwards,” Beck said. “We need to cut this nonsense. We need to focus on the future and on the critical work of building Saskatchewan’s economy within a united Canada.
“The Saskatchewan NDP and so many people we’ve heard from already won’t settle for anything less.”
The campaign comes amid several developments that have raised questions about Canada’s unity. In a recent Fox News interview, U.S. President Donald Trump repeated claims that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Trump also suggested he would halt all trade talks with Canada and implement new tariffs as early as this week.
Meanwhile, Unified Grassroots — a group that has hosted town halls across Saskatchewan — continues to promote a referendum on Saskatchewan leaving Canada. The group’s leader has publicly supported the idea of Saskatchewan joining the United States.
Beck’s proposed Keep Saskatchewan in Canada Act is still before the legislature. The bill would prevent the Premier and Cabinet from unilaterally calling a referendum on separation and would increase the threshold for citizen-initiated separation petitions from 15 per cent to 30 per cent of eligible voters.
Despite earlier commitments, Premier Scott Moe has not allowed a free vote on the bill and has blocked several attempts to bring it to a vote, according to the NDP.
The proposed legislation, Beck said, aims to provide economic stability for Saskatchewan workers and businesses during a time of growing political uncertainty.
“We know the status quo with Ottawa isn’t working for us but neither is giving up on Canada,” she said. “Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work on a new deal for Saskatchewan. That’s what people want from their government — not a vote on separation.
“I am so excited to mark Canada Day this year — it feels more important than ever before.”
