The Government of Saskatchewan held a press conference on Thursday discussing the looming tariffs threats from China and the United States and what Saskatchewan is doing to stand strong.
The government said it is going to continue to seek a diplomatic resolution to the tariffs while pursuing new international opportunities.
“Our federal government is the level of government that will engage and engage directly, whether it be with China or whether it be with the United States of America. And we encourage them to do so,” said Premier Scott Moe.
Moe adds that immediate action must be taken to deal with the tariffs being imposed by China.
“There needs to be action by our federal government before any election call to engage with China to ensure that the canola industry is not left in purgatory during the time that might that we might find ourselves in an election.”
Moe adds this needs to be done ASAP in the interest of all Canadians, saying “the legacy of closed industries and shuttered industries will be there throughout the campaign” of the upcoming federal election.
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Moe adds these tariffs are affecting an industry that’s important for creating wealth for Saskatchewan and Canadian families.
The consequences of these tariffs could be devastating.
“The markets that we are losing are going to be incredible. They were incredibly hard to build in the first place, and they’re going to be incredibly hard to regain.”
Moe reminds the federal government that “the goal here is not who wins or loses. The goal here is to have a free and fair-trading environment with the largest economies in the world. That’s the expectation.”
Moe added that his goals as premier for dealing with this situation is to “first, not have tariffs present. Second, if they are present is to have them removed as quickly as possible. Third is to even further diversify our market. So we are not even as reliant as we are today on one market in the world.”
On Thursday before the press conference, Premier Moe held a roundtable discussion in Saskatoon with the companies that are most likely to be affected by the tariff threats coming from the United States and China.
“Our companies bear the brunt of these impacts, which is why I am committed to standing up for Saskatchewan’s interests, focusing on calm and sensible solutions. These tariffs, particularly from China, will disproportionately impact Saskatchewan and we urge the federal government to continue working with provinces to create an economically sound and reasoned response,” said Moe.
On March 8, China announced its intention to implement 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil, canola meal and pea imports and 25 per cent tariffs on pork and aquatic products.
These tariffs are set to take effect on March 20.
Additionally, the United States has implemented a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods and a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian energy.
Currently, the United States is the provinces largest trade partner with roughly $40 billion worth of goods going to the U.S.
China is Saskatchewan’s second largest trading partner with $3.7 billion in exports going to China last year.
The government said it is a strong advocate for free trade and currently exports to every province and territory in Canada in addition to more than 160 countries.
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