Moe says province looking at options for increasing autonomy

Premier Scott Moe reiterated Wednesday that he wasn’t happy with what he heard from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the day before.

As a result, Moe once again suggested Saskatchewan was going to look at steps to enhance its autonomy.

Asked on Gormley if that meant following the lead of Alberta — which has suggested things like leaving the Canada Pension Plan and creating its own provincial police force — Moe said many things are on the table.

“We haven’t made decisions, nor have we even walked through precisely what the process would be for example of pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan,” Moe said. “But we’re going to have those conversations as to whether or not those are options for the province of Saskatchewan.”

Moe met with Trudeau for about an hour Tuesday in Ottawa. Following the meeting, Moe told reporters he was disappointed with what he heard from the prime minister.

“I wouldn’t say it was a good meeting, but I would say that it was … one of the meetings where there was more back and forth between just the prime minister and myself,” Moe told Gormley. “I was appreciative of that, but not so much appreciative of what I heard.

“I was really looking for an opportunity to collaborate with the new administration, the minority government that we have — the same prime minister but a government with a very different look, if you will — on these topics.”

Moe has sent two letters to Trudeau since the federal election on Oct. 21, raising concerns about the carbon tax, equalization and pipelines.

Trudeau said following the election that he heard the frustrations from residents of Western Canada about those topics — frustrations that were evidenced by the fact the governing Liberal Party was shut out in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Moe said Trudeau didn’t give any indication Tuesday that things would change with any of the premier’s areas of concerns. Instead, he said the prime minister suggested Moe simply was stoking the fires of western alienation in the province.

“I’m doing nothing of the sort,” Moe said. “Those sentiments are here.

“The message that was sent on election night was sent because of the policy direction of this federal government and this prime minister over the course of the last four years. I’m here representing the people of Saskatchewan and most certainly I’m going to continue to do that.”

In addition to saying that the province will continue its constitutional challenge of the federal government’s carbon tax and that Saskatchewan will examine issues like the pension plan, Moe noted the province will investigate its own trade possibilities.

He pointed specifically to the new Saskatchewan Plan for Growth, which is to be released Thursday in Saskatoon.

According to Moe, the plan will contain “a very focused, a very concerted effort to enhance our export relationships around the world.”

Trudeau’s take on the meeting can be found here.