SASKATOON — Premier Scott Moe is looking to use Saskatchewan’s resources in Canada’s ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, confident the province won’t be just a bystander in the talks between Ottawa and Washington.
Moe again highlighted the province’s abundant resources, including potash, uranium, and other rare earth minerals, as a key economic leverage with the US, the country’s largest trading partner. He believes it is time to use and put the cards on the table.
“I think it's crucial for us, before we start looking at what we have in the quiver, so to speak, and we have many cards to play as Canadians and as the province of Saskatchewan,” said Moe.
“I've often thought that Canada and the US are actually on the same card-playing team. It isn't up until recently that we started to wonder a little bit who our actual allies are when it comes to free and open trade and building a stronger economy.”
Moe spoke briefly with reporters during a break in the 79th Midwestern Legislative Conference, hosted by the province, which is set from Sunday to Wednesday, July 27 to 30, at TCU Place. He joined Saskatchewan’s MLAs at the annual meeting.
The MLC comprises the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and the US states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario are affiliate members.
Moe added that the outcome of the Canada-US trade negotiations will be known on Aug. 1, the deadline set by President Donald Trump, as he once again threatened that Washington would impose a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian goods entering the United States.
“We met with the Prime Minister and the other premiers last week, and, as you know, Dominic LeBlanc [Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of Canada] had left those meetings specifically to go to Washington yet again. Negotiations continue,” said Moe.
“This is an important relationship, whether it's USMCA or some updated notion of that. As we move forward, we're seeing some of the other global agreements start to take shape, with tariffs of 15 per cent or more in many cases.”
The US has already imposed a blanket 25 per cent tariff, due to border security concerns, on some Canadian products that CUSMA does not cover. Trump and the EU agreed to a 15 per cent tariff on most goods imported by the US this weekend.
Moe said tariffs for Canada’s goods should be lower than that, for it to be a strong and fair deal not only for Canadians but for the entirety of North America, adding that being less dependent on the US should also be considered by the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“Saskatchewan is the model to follow. We're one of the least dependent by percentages on the United States as an export market, about 50 to 55 per cent of what we produce heads to the US, but they're still our largest trading partner,” said Moe.
“We are the highest per capita exporting region in North America, exporting to over 160 countries each year. We have been focused on diversifying our global export destinations for the last few years. The US will continue to be our largest trading partner, but we should not be dependent on it.”
