Moe to press on canola in call with new Prime Minister Carney

Canola will be paramount for Premier Scott Moe on Friday when he gets on a call with the other premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The premiers are expected to get on their first call with the new prime minister Friday afternoon.

“The very first thing I will bring is ‘What’s the plan Prime Minister when it comes to engaging with the country of China or President Xi, prior to calling the election this Sunday,’ that’s paramount,” said Moe on Thursday.

Carney will reportedly call a federal election on Sunday, and Moe – who has previously called for a federal election – agreed an election is needed.

“But we have a few urgent things that need to happen before that, and paramount among them is to reach out, commit to charting a path forward with respect to the Chinese tariffs on canola crush,” said Moe.

He predicted there would be serious impacts on the canola industry in Saskatchewan before any election period was over, calling that time a “governance purgatory.”

The premier didn’t know if a solution could be found before Sunday but said Carney has to try.

“I would hope that the prime minister tries on behalf of Saskatchewan folks, tens of thousands of them, that are working in the canola industry, either production or canola crush and oil and meal industry – you have to try, on behalf of Canadians that the Prime Minister represents,” explained Moe.

Moe’s own government is hoping to engage with five or six provinces in China in the coming days, but said having a conversation about trade, nation-to-nation is up to the federal government.

A 100 per cent tariff on canola oil and meal from Canada into China was expected to take effect on Thursday.