Moe outlines what he won’t support in tariff talks

Premier Scott Moe said on Wednesday that some of the language around Canada’s response to the Trump tariff threat has changed, and there were things he’s not on board with.

Goal number one, for Moe, is for there to be no tariffs at all – he said he and the other premiers are engaging with their U.S. contacts on that front.

But if a tariff is applied, Moe has a specific idea of the appropriate response: very specific, targeted retaliatory tariffs on a couple of billion dollars worth of imports.

“They are not there to have an impact on the economy, they’re there to change the views, and really change the hearts and minds of specific policy decision-makers within the U.S.,” explained Moe.

The premier said the talk has recently changed to include broad-based, dollar-for-dollar tariffs.

“Broad-based counter-tariffs are escalating the entire conversation around tariffs, would be hurtful to Canadians, and would be hurtful to the entirety of North Americans and ultimately to that North American energy and food, manufacturing security that we want to achieve,” he said.

Moe said Canadians will lose in a broader tariff, market access war.

Export tariffs are also a no-go for Moe, to the point he said he would try to stop them.

“And we’re looking at what opportunities provinces have, exercising the provincial jurisdiction as we speak when it comes to the potential of export tariffs down the way,” said Moe.

He said he’s not just against export tariffs on Saskatchewan goods like potash and agriculture products, but export tariffs at all because other goods would hurt other provinces too.

Moe maintained that he’s still in favour of a united approach to the issue and that Saskatchewan is doing its “level-best” to advocate alongside the federal government.

“That being said, do we agree with all that’s being discussed or thought of by the federal government? Not necessarily, but we’re also doing our level best to engage with American policy-makers as the province of Saskatchewan,” said Moe.

Moe had been a part of a virtual first-ministers meeting with other premiers and the prime minister just hours before on Wednesday, though he didn’t directly say whether other premiers agreed with his approach. Moe just talked about how there will be different opinions among the premiers, and that it’s not a bad thing.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re not going to advocate alongside one another, not only for our respective subnational area – our province or our territory – but also to advocate as Canadians, and we do need to advocate as Canadians behind either this federal government, or whoever might be next,” said Moe.

Sask. NDP looking for more engagement in the U.S.

The province’s NDP came out on Wednesday asking for more assurance from Moe for the province that retaliation from Canada on tariffs wouldn’t disproportionately hurt Saskatchewan.

Leader Carla Beck said people in Saskatchewan want to see that their leaders are doing everything possible to stop tariffs and that there is a plan in place if the tariffs do come to pass.

Beck also said she and her MLAs have been talking with business leaders in the province, and suggested the provincial government take out ads in the U.S., explaining how these tariffs would hurt American citizens.

“We need to take this message directly to consumers in the U.S. to make sure that they understand what’s at stake for them should these tariffs come into place,” explained Beck.

She said the provincial government spent $200,000 on ads in Dubai during COP, and this situation is certainly as important.