REGINA - Conflicting statements on Monday from US President Donald Trump drew a reaction from Saskatchewan politicians this week.
On the one hand, Trump’s comments that the 25 per cent tariffs on Canada were “on schedule” for March 4 drew revulsion, especially from NDP politicians who held press conferences on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Trump also posted on social media his support for reviving the Keystone XL pipeline project, after previously saying the US didn't need Canada's oil.
Trump's post drew a positive response in a social media post on X from Premier Scott Moe, who is back in Washington D.C. this week on a trade mission alongside business people.
Moe's post read: “The path to continental energy dominance is to increase non-tariff North American trade. This includes the construction of new pipelines like Keystone XL.”
That drew an unimpressed response from NDP energy critic Sally Housser, who made it known she was more interested in pipelines that ran west-east, not north-south.
“If Donald Trump wants Canadian oil, he has to immediately remove the planned tariffs for March 4th,” said Housser to reporters at the Legislature Tuesday afternoon.
“That's the only message that Scott Moe should be taking to the United States and to Washington right now. Unfortunately, the game has changed. We have to wake up and realize that the last two months have happened.”
Housser also questioned “how we can talk about an infrastructure project right now, when the product that's going to be moving through it has a threat of a 35 per cent tariff on it — (it) doesn't make sense.”
In a statement, the Moe government had this response:
“Canada will never be the 51st state, but the United States will always be our largest trading partner. That is why Premier Scott Moe has been prioritizing 小蓝视频 in Washington D.C. – to de-escalate the conversation about tariffs and reiterate the fact that tariffs will hurt both of our economies.”
The province said it would continue working to find a path forward that would remove tariffs, and also expressed support for new pipelines that would “move western Canadian oil to market in Canada and the United States, including Keystone XL and Energy East, unlike the NDP who voted against a motion to support Keystone XL in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly.”
The government pointed to the Hansard account from May 3, 2012, when a motion calling for all parties to unite in support of Keystone XL pipeline project without further delay carried 37-6, with the NDP casting the six “no” votes.
NDP continues to oppose Bunge-Viterra merger
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the NDP were pointing to Trump’s stance on tariffs as one reason, among many, to block US-based Bunge’s takeover of Viterra.
The NDP jobs critic Aleana Young said she and Finance Minister Trent Wotherspoon wrote to all federal Liberals and in particular all those running in the leadership race to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister on the merger. The deal had already received federal approval.
“We've demanded that all of them commit to stopping this job-killing merger. A new federal government, one with some backbone, has the power to scrap the merger. And a leader who cares about Canada and about fairness for farmers would. Before Saskatchewan people cast their ballots, they deserve to know who will fight for them.”
Young also pointed to a SaskToday article from Jan. 31 in which she characterized Premier Moe as having “refused to oppose the merger,” she said.
In that article Moe was quoted as saying the following:
"No. I wouldn't say oppose[d]. I would say their concerns have been raised, and Bunge is very actively working towards addressing those concerns, whether they be from the competition borough or working more broadly with the province and ag industries in Saskatchewan as well. They are in a competitive environment, and they are not the only people that are going to be looking to buy our ag products in Saskatchewan."
“Frankly, that's not good enough,” said Young. “This is about free trade, it's about fairness for farmers and it's about $770 million leaving Saskatchewan to go to America each and every year.”
Young further characterized the merger as selling out to the Americans.
“We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to protect our economy and we cannot be selling out to American interests… if Scott Moe intends to stay on as leader of this province, he needs to apologize and immediately condemn the Bunge-Viterra merger. This can and must be stopped. We cannot give in to American interests. We need to plan for Saskatchewan's future.”
When asked about Trump’s statements that 25 per cent tariffs were indeed coming, Young said “we know these tariffs are coming and we know this directly from President Trump. And again, what boggles my mind is that we see the Saskatchewan party government so eager to further tie ourselves to Trump and to the American economy.
“We need to diversify our economy. We need to diversify our interests. And you have to ask yourself, when you see the contortions that Premier Moe and this government are willing to go through, not standing up to a merger that's potentially going to kill hundreds of head office jobs here, that's going to cost farmers in Saskatchewan $770 million a year, why they are so eager to send our money south of the border? It does not make sense.”
In a statement, the province had this response:
“The Government of Saskatchewan is continuing to listen to producer and industry concerns surrounding Bunge’s acquisition of Viterra to better understand the impacts on Saskatchewan producers. The government’s top priority is to ensure that producers remain competitive and profitable, with continued access to key global markets…
“The federal terms and conditions attached to the merger – many of which address concerns outlined in the Government of Saskatchewan’s submission – may address some concerns raised around competitiveness, impacts on the canola crush sector, and access to global markets. However, the Government of Saskatchewan shares some of the concerns that have been expressed by industry. It is key that Saskatchewan producers continue to have real choice when they go to the market to sell their crops.
“The Government of Saskatchewan will closely monitor the implementation of the deal’s terms, and will continue to consult with industry to understand the concerns and gauge the terms’ effectiveness. We also expect the federal government to ensure Bunge adheres to the terms and conditions in order to protect competition.”
