Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is calling on newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney to “hit the reset button” on Ottawa’s relationship with his province and make good on promises to work with the Sask. government.
Carney’s Liberals won 169 seats in the April 28 federal election, which will see the party form a minority government.
“This is an opportunity for you to hit the reset button on the federal government’s relationship for Saskatchewan, and it’s an offer that we make, and I hope you take it,” Moe said.
Moe said the strong showing of support for the Tories in his province indicates that Saskatchewan wants change, and he urged Carney to take that call seriously. He also said he is hopeful a Carney government will improve on the previous administration in engaging and consulting with Saskatchewan regarding legislation and policies.
“You said you wanted to work with both Saskatchewan and Alberta,” Moe said. “You have said you want to make Canada into a world-leading energy superpower, and that’s great to hear, but those can’t be just words... Policies really matter, and some of your government’s policies are going to need to change in order for Canada to achieve that goal.”
Moe added the province has “ideas and suggestions” on taking advantage of Saskatchewan’s natural resources and on how to handle the tariff situation with the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian products not included in the North American free trade agreement, a 10 percent tariff on energy and potash, a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum, and a 25 percent tariff on auto parts.
Moe said one of the best ways to deal with tariffs is by making sure Canada becomes “the world’s leading energy superpower,” saying that being both self-sufficient as well as a reliable supplier would be “a pretty good position of strength to work from.”
Carbon Tax
Moe’s government has long had a rocky relationship with Ottawa in recent years, with the carbon tax being one of the main points of contention.Moe has been one of the most vocal opponents of the carbon tax among Canada’s provincial leaders, and made the decision in 2023 to begin withholding the carbon tax on home heating as of Jan. 1, 2024.
The province stopped collecting the carbon tax on home heating in response to the government’s decision not to exempt all forms of home heating from the tax. Ottawa paused the tax for home heating oil in the fall of 2023, a move that largely benefited Atlantic Canada but had little impact in the western provinces, where natural gas is primarily used for home heating.
Saskatchewan unanimously passed legislation to designate the province as the exclusive registered distributor of natural gas. The measure was put in place to protect SaskEnergy employees and board members from being held accountable by Ottawa for not imposing the tax on residential heating.
Then-federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault called Moe’s action illegal, saying he was “not respecting federal laws.”
Moe’s administration said the tax was contributing to inflation in the province and deemed it a justifiable action.
Carney signed a directive on March 14 instructing the consumer carbon charge be set to zero percent effective April 1. It was one of the first moves Carney made after being sworn in as prime minister.
Unlike Poilievre, who vowed to get rid of industrial carbon pricing if the Conservatives won the election, Carney has said “big polluters” will continue to pay the tax through an output-based pricing system.
Moe has said he disagrees with the Liberal stance and announced in March that his government would take steps to remove the industrial levy in Saskatchewan, making it the first province in Canada to be “fully carbon tax-free.”
Moe said he is hoping the new federal government will not implement a backstop to collect levies from Saskatchewan as a result of his decision to end the industrial tax.
