REGINA - Alarm was expressed on both sides of the aisle at the Saskatchewan Legislature over news that US President Donald Trump will be restoring Russia’s access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports.
The White House made that announcement following high-level discussions between Trump and President Vladimir Putin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week. The news has major ramifications for agricultural products coming out of Saskatchewan, especially potash.
“I’m really quite shocked” was the reaction from Premier Scott Moe when speaking to reporters at the Legislature rotunda.
Moe has been reluctant to openly condemn Trump during the ongoing tariff dispute, having repeatedly cited a desire not to escalate or amplify the conversation. But he held little back Tuesday in voicing his disapproval of the lifting of sanctions on Russia.
“This is incredibly disturbing for myself, I think Saskatchewan residents, all Canadians. And I would say that likely incredibly disturbing for so many global citizens.”
Moe pointed out that the sanctions placed on Russia on the goods they provided to the world were in place “so that Russia would be unable to finance their illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
“And so for the President of the United States to be sitting down with Vladimir Putin or the Russian organization or Russian regime, without Ukraine at the table and coming to conclusions that they're going to look at ways to open up access for Russian goods to be provided to the world …they should all know, and I would remind the President, that this is how you fund invasions like this. This is how you fund essentially the Russian invasion of Ukraine, of which they are killing Ukrainians each and every day by the President's only words.”
Moe seemed to indicate this news came as a surprise, and that this was not something indicated in his conversations with officials in the USA.
“No. No, I've never had any discussions with anyone in the U.S. on it,” Moe told reporters.
“Quite the contrary, the discussions have been around, you know, despite the current discussion that's happening, there is a recognition of many policymakers and decision makers of the benefits to the partnership with Canada, whether that be USMCA, and in particular with the products that come from a province like Saskatchewan — food, fuel, and fertilizer, for example. And there are opportunities to actually deepen that relationship into the future.
“It's decisions like this that make… that change that relationship, I think, to some degree. And, you know, I don't know that it will, you know, change the volumes moving forward when we work our way through whatever this discussion is.
But it certainly changes the view that we have on just what has traditionally been our largest ally.”
Moe reiterated his goal was a free and fair trading environment.
“But now, if we find ourselves in an escalating situation where, you know, jobs are being lost in Saskatchewan and, you know, tariffs are being imposed at an accelerating rate, we're fully aware of the products that we have and the importance of those products to each and every American family. And we're fully aware of the impact that additional costs or lack of access of those products that we provide, food, fuel and fertilizer, would be not only on American families, but other countries around the world as well.
“However, in saying that, our goal is to get back to that free and fair trading environment. And all of the actions that we've taken thus far have been to achieve that goal. We'll see what actions we may or may not have to look at in a post-April 2 environment.”
Opposition Leader Carla Beck stood alongside her MLAs when speaking to reporters on the issue. She pointed to Premier Moe “finally find(ing) his feet to condemn the actions of the American president,” pointing out this is something they had been calling for for months.
“This has gone from threats, to comments, to now a five alarm fire. And I want people in this province to know that as the Official Opposition, we will continue to work to ensure that producers in this province are protected, that we protect Saskatchewan jobs.”
Beck also called on the government to “acknowledge the reality that is staring us in the face right now, and to go back and ensure that there are protections in the budget that they've tabled on the floor of that Assembly. A budget that frankly does not meet the mark when it comes to the challenges that we're facing.”
Beck also was again critical of the government for a slow response to the Trump tariff threats.
“Obviously, we should have been taking Donald Trump, literally and seriously, all of this time. We shouldn't be a day late and a dollar short. And we sure as heck shouldn't be sitting debating a budget that contains nothing when it comes to contingency… Let's do away with this charade. Let's get serious about the challenges that we're facing and have a plan to protect those jobs and those industries in Saskatchewan.”
