Premier Scott Moe has questions for new Liberal leader Mark Carney

On Sunday afternoon, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe took to social media to congratulate Mark Carney on his Liberal leadership win.

The next day, he used the same platform to lay out some expectations and questions for the incoming prime minister.

Moe said eliminating the consumer carbon tax is a day-one priority for people in Saskatchewan. He said Canadians are looking to Carney keep his campaign promise, adding that it would be a “great tariff relief measure”.

The premier said the tax needs to be cut before it increases again on April 1.

“We would hope you have immediate and swift action on this priority,” wrote Moe.

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney was chosen as Liberal leader on Sunday, taking over from Justin Trudeau. (The Canadian Press)

The Sask. Party government has long been against the federally imposed carbon tax, going so far as to take the issue to the Supreme Court of Canada. The federal government won that case, but Moe’s government continues to say the tax hurts Saskatchewan people, though the federal government has claimed people get more back in rebates than they pay.

In a report, Canada’s parliamentary budget officer found that the vast majority of households get back more in rebates than they pay through the federal carbon tax, but concluded those gains are wiped out for most once broader economic effects are factored in.

Moe’s government has also withheld the carbon tax from home heating since the federal Liberal government announced an exemption to the tax for home heating oil, which largely applies in Atlantic Canada.

The premier also said he needs to hear Carney’s plan to respond to the 100 per cent tariff China has slapped on Canadian canola oil – Moe called that tariff “devastating.”

The tariff was implemented in response to the federal government’s tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, which Moe claimed was “ill-advised” and an attempt to “prop up” Canada’s electric vehicle industry.

Lastly, Moe asked what Carney’s immediate steps will be to end the tariffs imposed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Moe and his ministers have previously called the Trump tariffs devastating as well. The provincial government announced retaliatory measures last week, including pulling American alcohol off of SLGA shelves and changing government procurement to prioritize Canadian companies and goods.

Meanwhile, political consultant and strategist Warren Kinsella joined The Evan Bray Show on Monday to share his thoughts on Carney and what his election as Liberal leader mean for Canada’s relationship with the United States. Listen to that interview here:

–with files from The Canadian Press