Premier Scott Moe believes tariffs can be avoided after Washington D.C. trip

Following Premier Scott Moe’s trip to Washington D.C. this week, he believes tariffs can be avoided.

Moe was in the American capital from Feb. 24 to Feb. 27, leading a delegation of business leaders in an effort to highlight the importance of cross-border trade and head off the tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump, which could take effect as early as next week.

Moe said he believes there is a path forward to avoid tariffs. “No one wins with the imposition of tariffs,” he said to a group of reporters in Saskatoon on Friday.

“The very first impacts will be observed by an American family that’s filling up their vehicle at the pumps,” he said.

Product of Canada means essentially all the ingredients, the labour and the packaging materials should be coming from Canada. (Céline Grimard/650 CKOM)

He said the second impact will be U.S. grocery stores and thirdly U.S. egg producers with the jump in potash fertilizer.

“Ninety per cent of potash that is used by American farmers comes from the province of Saskatchewan,” he said.

The province, according to Moe will “make every effort to head off any imposition, whether it be of tariffs coming from President Trump and the United States, or whether it be even counter tariffs from Canada.” Adding “energy dominance” is the goal of the U.S. “One in 17 homes in the U.S. is powered by Saskatchewan uranium,” said Moe.

One in 17 homes in the U.S. is powered by Saskatchewan uranium.

There are three dates Moe said will be important for the province to follow, but urges “Our focus should always be averting tariffs.”

The proposal of broad based tariffs on March 4. “These are focused around fentanyl and the border,” said Moe.

Second would be on March 12, the steel and aluminum tariffs, he said. “And third would be April 2 with the proposal of reciprocal tariffs, which would be much more global in nature.”

Moe highlights job loss will accompany the March 12 tariffs as industries will reposition themselves in both countries. “Our steel and aluminum industry in Canada is very, very sensitive to a tariff like this on southbound products.”

Our focus should always be averting tariffs

Moe stated “We’re going to continue to engage and engage alongside our industry partners and engage alongside any allies in the the effort to have a tariff free environment.”

“We’re making efforts right here at home to the degree that we can to eradicate fentanyl from our communities for the benefit of Saskatchewan families and Canadian families, not simply because it is a priority of the President,” said Moe. Earlier this week, the provincial government released a new fine to try and crack down on fentanyl within the Saskatchewan.

“This poison needs to leave the province and the communities where we live. It will make our communities safer,” he said. Saskatoon saw over 25 overdoses linked to fentanyl within 24 hours on Feb. 26, with Saskatoon Fire highlighting February has seen roughly double the number of overdoses compared to the same time last year.

Listen to Washington Correspondent for the Canadian Press Kelly Malon speak with Evan Bray:

Moe has made two trips to the U.S. capital city in February. “We had some good engagement with senators, with Secretaries, with congressmen, as well as with many others on the periphery of the Washington, DC, decision making circle.”

The message taken to DC this week, according to Moe was “energy security, food security, manufacturing security, all have to be goals, not only of us in the province and the nation, but they have to be our continental, continental goals.” Adding the Saskatchewan perspective is “one of the long views. We want to find our way back to that stable trading environment.”

Moe promised to release a list of the congressmen and senators they focused on visiting during his latest visit. “We do have an impact, and not only in what we produce, but in how we produce it, and how we provide it to allied nations around the world.”

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The group Moe travelled with included representatives from Cameco, Evraz, Enbridge, North American Helium, Arizona Lithium, Cenovus, Whitecap Resources and the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

Even with the heightened tensions between Canada and the United States, Moe previously said he’s committed to making the trade relationship work in the long term, saying that free trade helps keep both economies strong.

Moe has warned that tariffs would only hurt the two countries, and the looming trade war would help nations outside of North America.

This week I have returned to Washington with Saskatchewan Industry leaders to continue our efforts in de-escalating the threat of potential tariffs from our largest trading partner, the United States.

We will continue to highlight the mutual benefits that our countries have when… pic.twitter.com/TdGZFB4eZt

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) February 27, 2025

Moe also made several announcements that appear aimed at placating Trump, who has pointed to issues at the Canada-U.S. border, including the smuggling of fentanyl. In addition to a provincial border security plan, Moe’s government has also announced increased provincial penalties for those trafficking in fentanyl and methamphetamine, which could include fines as high was $1 million.

Additionally, the premier announced that pipelines in Saskatchewan going east, west or south would be considered “pre-approved” by his government. That announcement followed Trump’s comments about the potential resurrection of the defunct Keystone XL pipeline expansion project.

Tim Gitzel, CEO of Cameco, has said the positive relationship between Canada and the United States in the civilian nuclear sector has been a catalyst for economic growth and has increased both energy security and national security.

“The Trump Administration’s pursuit of energy dominance and its support for domestic nuclear power will require Saskatchewan uranium – and Cameco’s expertise and capacity across the nuclear fuel cycle,” Gitzel said in a statement ahead of the Washington trip.

Moe, along with Canada’s 12 other premiers, visited the American capital earlier this month in order to tout Canada’s exports and the value of the existing trade relationship between the two countries.

–with files from The Canadian Press