REGINA – The threat of 25 per cent tariffs being imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump is looming over the political leaders of Saskatchewan.
As Feb. 1 gets closer, opposition leader Carla Beck called on Premier Scott Moe to convene a legislative emergency session should the tariffs be enacted.
During a press conference, Beck suggested the session would focus on “looking at the details of what is actually implemented, should those tariffs come in. Some things that I can think of off the top of my head [would be] we need to be looking at perhaps aid packages for industries that might be singled out in the details of that tariff.”
When discussing the aid packages, Beck said she cannot be prescriptive about the details yet without knowing about the specifics of the tariffs.
A reporter asked Beck if the support packages should be more of a focus for the federal government, to which she responded, “I think that would also be part of the discussion. What message [do] we need to be taking to the federal government? I think it sends a very clear message if you have a united legislature on some of these issues, and that’s what we would be seeking.”
As Beck talked about sending a clear message, she pointed out the NDP called for a comprehensive ad campaign, which would let U.S. consumers better understand the costs and damages the tariffs would impose.
Beck kept stating during her media availability that if the “tariffs were implemented, they would cause harm on both sides of the border, not just to Canadian businesses and consumers. And we’ve heard from the industry that we bring that message directly to American consumers.”
So, for the ad campaign, Beck pointed to showcasing ads in subways around Chicago targeting U.S. consumers. As Beck noted, “Illinois happens to be the state that exports the most product to Saskatchewan.” Other premiers across Canada have also proposed these ideas to fight back against the tariffs, as Beck said.
With politicians trying their best to navigate the potential tariff situation, they are also hearing the concerns from businesses, sectors and more.
For herself, Beck has heard from various groups that these tariffs “would be devastating [and] that this would be not just another hit [for them], but a threat that could wipe out whole businesses, generational farms, [you know], have a huge impact on an industry that has been through some bumpy times in the last number of years.”
Even though Beck said an emergency session would be needed to talk about the next steps if tariffs were imposed, a reporter asked her if there was any point in having one because the government is already preparing for the worst, and the session would also cost money.
In response, Beck said, “the impact of these tariffs would be not only measured in potentially in the billions of dollars to the Saskatchewan economy long term, it would also be measured in the number of businesses livelihoods lost. This meets the true measure of an emergency session. As I said, and I found this myself even looking at the premiers who came out at a time when we see a lot of chaos with the federal government… being encouraged by seeing the premiers being able to sit at the table and find common ground. It would be the same signal that we would want to instill that confidence in Saskatchewan people that this legislature, those on both sides of the aisle are taking this seriously, are working towards solutions, and are prepared to put forth unanimous motions perhaps.”
When discussing Moe and the Sask. Party, Beck has heard back from them regarding having conversations about the tariffs.
Moe himself has said he would support implementing small-target tariffs that would change the minds of U.S. decision-makers.
He also said he was against export tariffs, as Moe believed it would be counter-productive.
If the U.S. implements the tariffs on Feb. 1, in her letter to Moe, Beck called for the legislature to meet two days later on the 3rd.
Beck was asked if there was any way the legislature could meet on Friday to sit-down a day before the beginning of Feb.
She said, “February 1st, of course, has been something that’s been floated [around] a number of times by President Trump [as the day the tariffs would be implemented]. That’s why we’ve indicated that in the letter. We’d have to provide two days notice to reconvene the legislature, and so that’s why the date of February the 3rd [was proposed]. Again, it’s possible. I’m hopeful that these tariffs don’t come in on February the 1st. That doesn’t mean that the threat has passed. I think we have to be vigilant and ready to reconvene at any point that we see these tariffs brought in, but we do know that February 1st is the most likely [date], at least right now, a date that we might see these tariffs [be] brought in.”
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