REGINA - With a round of potential 20 per cent US tariffs set to hit April 2, the issue of Trump tariffs and retaliatory measures were front and centre at the Legislature Tuesday.
Opposition New Democrats were raising the issue on a number of fronts. At a morning news conference Opposition Leader Carla Beck pointed to April 2 being called Liberation Day by President Donald Trump, and again blasted the Sask Party government for failing to prepare for a “incredibly slow-moving train.”
“But what we’re seeing the Sask Party do is lie down on the tracks and wait to get run over. It’s Saskatchewan people who will pay the price.”
She pointed to new numbers from Angus Reid Institute showing Saskatchewan leads the country for economic anxiety. According to their Economic Stress Index by region, 23 per cent of Saskatchewan respondents were reporting they were uncomfortable and 32 per cent reporting they were struggling — highest numbers in the nation.
Beck slammed the government for failing to address the trade war in the budget, and for failing to have a plan.
“We didn’t see any help for workers, no plan for small business, no support package for farmers who are struggling with a Chinese tariffs and who are waiting to face more… again, the response has been meek and week.”
In Question Period Tuesday, Finance Minister Jim Reiter pushed back by saying they had a plan that the Assembly had voted on last week, which included “being the only province in this country to be carbon tax free.”
Reiter also pointed to other actions including SLGA no longer purchasing US alcohol, reviewing all government procurement to prioritize Canadian suppliers, and making efforts to increase procurement from Saskatchewan base employers such as with Evraz Steel. He also supported the use of counter tariffs.
“But again, I think a very important component of this is giving businesses a competitive advantage by not paying carbon tax anymore,” said Reiter.
It was on government procurement that the NDP raised concerns Tuesday. They accused the government of outsourcing park reservations and hunting and fishing licenses to an American company.
In a news release they accused the Sask. Party government of paying Texas-based company RA Outdoors LTD, operating as Aspira, of approximately $2 million per year according to numbers from public accounts.
“We want to see that contract cancelled and brought to Saskatchewan,” said Regina Walsh Acres MLA Jared Clarke to reporters. “I’m sure a Saskatchewan company has the capability of administering the system in the province.”
“We’ve known for months,” said Saskatoon Nutana MLA Erika Ritchie. “The government had more than enough time to review these kind of procurement contracts and look to our great innovative companies in this province for this kind of procurement service instead, and they failed to do so.”
Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement David Marit did not have any details he could provide reporters about the contract with RA Outdoors LTD. He believed it was not fair for the NDP to call for the contract to be ripped up.
“No, no, it’s not,” said Marit, because “there obviously there’d be challenges around that. There could be penalties, there could be fees in some cases. In some of the contracts ordered there is a Saskatchewan company that provides that service one way or another, maybe not even a Canadian one. So we have to look at all aspects.”
Marit added what they were concerned about on the procurement side was being “very open and transparent but also getting the best deal for the province of Saskatchewan.”
