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

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 the goal of the U.S. is to have “energy dominance.”

There are three dates Moe said will be important for the province to follow.

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 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.”

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.

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

by CKOM News

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

What's Trending