‘If you’re going to put a tariff on oil and potash, Saskatchewan is going to have an issue with that,’ said Moe
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OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has two increasingly vocal allies among Canadian premiers in her push to ratchet down the response to President Donald Trump’s threatened 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods.
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“Saskatchewan is most certainly not supportive of export tariffs, and will be working actively to ensure that an export tariff couldn’t be applied on Saskatchewan products,” said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday, speaking with reporters in Regina.
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“If you’re going to put a tariff on oil and potash, Saskatchewan is going to have an issue with that.”
Earlier in the day, Quebec Premier François Legault said any retaliatory action that involves curtailing energy exports to the U.S. should require the approval of the province or provinces affected.
“Regarding energy, I think it is important that if it affects a province, that this province has to give its consent first,” Legault told reporters, speaking at a caucus retreat in St-Sauveur, Que.
Both premiers also said on Wednesday that they opposed placing dollar-for-dollar tariffs on the U.S.
Moe said he favours “small, targeted tariffs” like those used by Canada during Trump’s first presidency.
“They’re very targeted… a couple million dollars on a couple billion dollars of imports from the U.S.,” said Moe.
“They’re not there to have an impact on the (U.S.) economy, they’re there to change the… hearts and minds of specific policy decision-makers.”
Canada responded to Trump’s 2018 tariffs on steel and aluminum with a list of targeted tariffs, such as a levy on cranberries grown in then-U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin.
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Moe wouldn’t give any examples of products he thought should be tariffed this time around.
Moe has previously spoken out against export tariffs, but signed onto a first ministers’ statement last week promising a “robust response to possible U.S. tariffs,” including possible retaliatory action.
Smith refused to sign the statement, citing her objection to federal officials “publicly and privately float(ing) the idea of cutting off energy supply to the U.S. and imposing export tariffs on Alberta energy.”
She was the lone holdout of 13 provincial and territorial premiers.
Smith has refused to discuss the possibility of retaliatory tariffs, focusing her efforts on cross-border diplomacy.
Her office didn’t respond by press time when asked if she shared Moe’s support for targeted tariffs.
One notable figure who approves of Smith’s approach is Moe’s predecessor, ex-Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall.
“The rest of the country should be grateful for (Smith’s) leadership,” wrote Wall in a Tuesday Facebook post.
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“So far, she is the one highlighting for U.S. friends that when you remove discounted Canadian oil… it is the US that has the trade surplus with Canada.”
Wall led Saskatchewan for a decade before being succeeded by Moe in early 2018.
National Post
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